Althea Gibson was the first black tennis player to win Wimbledon in 1957.
Also the first black woman to play on a pro Golf Tour.

Multi talented, powerful with a natural athletic stature she broke race barriers for the first time in majority white sports. Her family were poor and she had to miss school. But she loved sports. She managed with few resources to reach the height of a sport. This route unimaginable today. Towards the end of her career she suffered from poor finances and failing health.

She never considered herself a crusader. Never wanted to be political.

Never heard of her? Again another demonstration as if we needed one of what a culture can see, and cannot see. We are taught to survive by making choices that keep us with the similar and familiar. Anything outside these norms is considered unworthy and alien. It’s how humans survive.

A modern dilemma is how do we increase our capacity to tolerate difference, at the same time acknowledging that we are not built that way.

Copyright Adrian Scott
North London Counsellor Blog 2021
All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only
This article is designed to provoke argument and critique