Celebrating Black History Month: A Community Challenge and Top Trailblazers in Women’s Sports
February is Black History Month, so we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some organizations working to create a more equitable future for Black women and girls in sports. Many members of our team grew up in the sport of swimming, where Black athletes are underrepresented at all levels of the sport. Black children also face a risk of drowning that is five times higher than white children.
This year, we are challenging ourselves and you to recognize inequity in sport and take action. Find an organization in your sport that seeks to increase involvement and equity for Black female athletes. Read up on their mission, and if you're in the position to, make a donation. Will you join us in this challenge? Here are a few to get you started:
Swimmers for Change: USA Olympian Lia Neal began Swimmers for Change as a means of bringing the swimming community together in support of black communities and creating change in the swimming community.
Black Women in Sport Foundation: The BWSF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase the involvement of black women and girls in all aspects of sport.
Diversity in Aquatics: The vision of Diversity in Aquatics is to empower communities to have equitable access to quality water safety education and aquatic opportunities.
Black Kids Swim: Black Kids Swim is a Maryland based 501(c)3 organization dedicated to increasing Black participation in competitive swimming.
After you’ve found an organization to support, join us in celebrating some of the Black athletes who are trailblazers and pioneers in women’s sports, both today and over the past 100 years. Representation matters - and these women inspire us and so many others every time they step up to compete.
CORI “COCO” GAUFF is an American tennis player. At just 16 years old, she is the youngest player ranked in the top 100 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
After rising to fame in 2019 with an upset win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon, Coco has already made a name for herself as a professional athlete for her ground-breaking accomplishments in tennis. Guided by her drive to dream big, Coco is the youngest single title-holder on the WTA Tour since 2004. She was the youngest player in Wimbledon’s tournament history to qualify for the main draw. Coco is an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement and uses her voice and platform to empower young people to stand up for what they believe in and become leaders in their own communities.
Words to live by:
“I hope they learned about me, that I’m a fighter and I’ll never give up...and that anything is possible if you work hard and just continue to dream big.”
Follow Coco on social media ~
IG: @cocogauff
Twitter: @CocoGauff
SIMONE MANUEL is a US Olympic swimmer and in 2016 became the first black woman to win an individual gold medal in swimming during the Rio Games.
After entering Stanford to begin her collegiate swimming career, Simone broke three school records for the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle during her freshman year. She is currently a six-time NCAA Division I champion, becoming one of the first three black women to place in the top three spots in the 100-yard freestyle in any Division I swimming championship. Simone is a partner for LeBron James’ “I Promise School” to provide opportunities for children to learn how to swim. She firmly believes in inclusion and equality for all and holds others accountable for their actions. Her partnership with TYR is unique from other athlete sponsorship agreements because it contains an inclusion rider to ensure that the brand continues to provide opportunities to underserved groups in the community.
Words to live by:
“Surround yourself with the dreamers, the doers, the believers and the thinkers; but most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness within you even when you don’t see it yourself.”
Follow Simone on social media ~
IG: @swimone
Twitter: @swimone
NAOMI OSAKA is a Japanese tennis player ranked number one by the Women’s Tennis Association. She is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking for singles.
At 20 years old, Naomi rose to international tennis fame after defeating Serena Williams during the 2018 US Open, making her the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam title. Born to a Haitian father and Japanese mother, Naomi is a strong proponent of Black Lives Matter and has recently shown her support for the movement during her matches. Naomi’s aggressive playing style, powerhouse serve (up to 125 mph!) and activism garnered her the 2020 Sports Illustrated Sportspersons of the Year and a spot on Time's 2019 and 2020 lists of the 100 most influential people in the world. She regularly uses her platform to inspire young people to take action and speak out against racism and social injustice within sports and society.
Words to live by:
“How I came this far is a miracle, but you can too.”
Follow Naomi on social media ~
IG: @naomiosaka
Twitter: @naomiosaka
IBTIHAJ MUHAMMAD is an American sabre fencer and member of the US fencing team. She is known for being the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing for the US in the Olympics.
From a young age, Ibtihaj pursued fencing as a way for her to play sports and still pay homage to her Islamic beliefs. Ibtihaj’s hijab serves to inspire young girls and women to pursue their dreams and highlight the value of inclusiveness and diversity in sports. In 2014, Ibtihaj co-founded Louella with her sisters, a modest and fashionable clothing line in the US. Ibtihaj was also used as inspiration for Mattel’s first hijabi Barbie during International Women’s Day in 2017. She is also a social justice activist and the author of an illustrated children’s book, “The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family”.
Words to live by:
“There will always be people who challenge the idea that you belong, but it's important to work hard, to focus on yourself, and prove that you belong in this space of high-level athletics.”
Follow Ibtihaj on social media ~
IG: @ibtihajmuhammad
Twitter: @IbtihajMuhammad
JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE is a 4x Olympic track and field athlete and is considered as one of the greatest heptathletes of all-time.
Voted the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, Jackie was the first woman to score over 7,000 points in a heptathlon during the 1986 Goodwill Games. During the 1988 Olympics, Jackie set the still-standing heptathlon world record of 7,291 points and became the first American woman to earn a gold medal in the long jump and in the heptathlon. She has been honored with the Jesse Owens Award, which is the highest accolade given out by USA Track & Field. In later years, the award was split to honor both a male and female athlete where the award was renamed the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award. Today, Jackie is a philanthropist, public speaker, and advocate for children's education, racial equality, social reform, and women's rights. Her foundation helps provide youth, adults, and families resources to improve their quality of life.
Words to live by:
“The glory of sport comes from dedication, determination and desire. Achieving success and personal glory in athletics has less to do with wins and losses than it does with learning how to prepare yourself so that at the end of the day, whether on the track or in the office, you know that there was nothing more you could have done to reach your ultimate goal.”
ALICE COACHMAN was an American track and field athlete and was the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
During the 1948 London Olympics, Alice was the only American woman to win a gold medal. Growing up, Alice had difficulty training and participating in organized sports because of the color of her skin and being a woman. As a female athlete during the 1930s and 1940s, Alice used what was available to her, including running shoeless along the dirt roads near her home and using homemade equipment to practice her jumping. At the 1996 Olympic Games, Alice was honored as one of the 100 greatest Olympians of all time. Near the end of her career, Alice was proud to see the progress that black athletes were making in sports, especially in track and field. Today, she has been credited for opening the door for future black track stars such as Evelyn Ashford, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Words to live by:
“I’ve always believed that I could do whatever I set my mind to.”
Legacy: Alice passed away in 2014. She was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame (1975), Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1979), and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame (2004) where her legacy lives on to this day.
ALTHEA GIBSON was an American tennis player and golfer and was the first Black American to win a Grand Slam title.
At just 23 years old, Althea was the first black player to be invited to the US Open (formally US National Championships). In 1957, Althea was seeded first in Wimbledon and became the first black champion in the tournament’s history. She was also the first champion to receive the trophy by Queen Elizabeth II personally. That same year, Althea was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City, making her the second Black American to be honored after Jesse Owens. She was also presented with the city’s highest civilian award, the Bronze Medallion, by Rober Wagner Jr., New York’s mayor at that time. Known as the “Queen of Tennis,” Althea is praised by tennis icons Billie Jean King and Venus Williams for her determination and ability to pave the way for success for black athletes during a time when racism was very prevalent in sports and society. Today, she is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Words to live by:
“In sports, you simply aren't considered a real champion until you have defended your title successfully. Winning it once can be a fluke; winning it twice proves you are the best.”
Legacy: Althea passed away in 2003. Her legacy lives on within her autobiography “I always wanted to be somebody,” which was published in 1958.
US Women's Olympic Team 1936, including Louise Stokes (back row, third from left) and Tidye Pickett (back row, far right)
TIDYE PICKETT and LOUISE STOKES were American track and field stars during the 1930s and became trailblazers for black women participating in sports and the Olympic Games.
After being selected to represent the United States at the 1936 Olympics in Germany, Tidye and Louise became the first Black American women invited to participate in the Games. Tidye became the first Black American woman to compete in the Olympics by running the 80-meter hurdles.
Legacy: Tidye Pickett passed away in 1986 and Louise Stokes passed away in 1978. Despite their world-renowned breakthrough into sports, both women were left out of the final four-woman relay lineup and suffered racial discrimination during their Olympics. Their story continues to serve as inspiration today as Tidye and Louise spent their lives opening doors for others and creating spaces for women where they wouldn’t be marginalized.