American Masters: Althea

Catalogue Number: 041824
Producer: PBS Video
Subject: Biography, Black History, Documentary, History, Sports, Women's Studies
Language: English
Grade Level: 9 - 12, Post Secondary
Country Of Origin: U.S.
Copyright Year: 2015
Running Time: 90
Closed Captions: Yes
Althea Gibson emerged as a most unlikely queen of the highly segregated tennis world of the 1950s. Her roots as a sharecropper's daughter, her family's migration to Harlem, her mentoring from Sugar Ray Robinson, David Dinkins and others, her fame that thrust her unwillingly into the glare of the early Civil Rights movement, all bring the story into a much broader realm of African American history, transcending sports.
Grand Jury Prize
Best Documentary
American Black Film Festival 2015
"Her road to success was a challenging one, but I never saw her back down" - Billie Jean King, Executive Producer
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