Long before the exploits of Arthur Ashe or the Williams sisters, Althea Gibson was achieving historic results in the previously all-white world of professional tennis. The 1957-58 AP Female Athlete of the Year, Gibson, a Florida A&M graduate, won the 1956 French Open, and both...
Over the course of her staggering career, Althea Gibson vanquished barrier after barrier standing in the way of African-American tennis players. In 1950, she became the first African-American to compete in the U.S. National Championships, the precursor to the U.S. Open. The 1956 French Championships...
Walking past 1422 Pierce Street in Lynchburg, Virginia, it is easy to miss history. The property features a modest home with a modest yard in a modest neighborhood. But to those in town – and to those around the world – who know the story of...
When I asked tennis pro Julien Delaine if he knew Bobby Johnson Jr., the sparkle in his eyes told me the question had struck gold. “Yeah, man!” Julien said excitedly, adding that anyone who hung around the tennis courts at 16th and Kennedy streets in Washington,...
Of the extremely limited public spaces where black children could frolic in segregation-era Richmond, Brook Field Park was the chief choice. Among the youngsters who roved its grounds, swam in its pool in sweltering summers and played on its tennis courts and baseball fields, there...
The saying goes, Sunday’s children are full of grace. This is somehow rather fitting when it comes to the character of Dr. Robert Walter “Whirlwind” Johnson, who came into the world on a Sunday. It is for this reason that Jennifer Petticolas titled her new play about...
Dr. Robert Johnson hosted a tennis camp at his home in Lynchburg, Virginia, starting in the 1940s where he coached young African Americans including Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. Lange Johnson talked about his grandfather’s work to integrate tennis and his own experiences at the...
LYNCHBURG, Va. — A historical signpost here at 1422 Pierce Street tells the story of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson, who fostered generations of African-American tennis stars on a court next to his home there. From 1951 to 1971, hundreds of players learned tennis and discipline under...
When Venus Williams steps onto Centre Court at Wimbledon on Saturday to vie for her sixth title, she will be following in the footsteps of a black tennis pioneer. Sixty years ago this month, Althea Gibson became the first African American to win a championship at...
As Wimbledon gets underway in London, tennis will be a dominate discussion for several weeks. The world may have its eyes on the tournament, but it reminds us in the states of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson, the putative godfather of Black tennis. The “godfather” appellation is...