If you like us, REALLY like us, please click the “Like” button at the end of this post!
Also, please scroll to the end of this post for other ways to financially support us and We Are Speaking with our books and courses.
We appreciate your support!
Today’s Black History WOW!
Margaret and Matilda Peters
In the world of tennis, a sport historically dominated by white athletes, Black female champions have risen above racial and gender barriers to leave an indelible mark on the game.
Margaret and Matilda Peters: First 20th Century Tennis Champions
Margaret and Matilda Peters, also known as "Pete" and "Repeat" Peters, were African American tennis sisters who dominated the American Tennis Association (ATA) in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. The ATA was created to give Black people a chance to play competitive tennis at a national level, as African Americans were not allowed to compete against white people at the time. The Peters sisters won 14 doubles titles in 15 years, and Matilda also won ATA singles titles in 1944 and 1946, including a victory over Althea Gibson in 1946.
Ora Washington: A Star in Tennis and Basketball
A champion on the court in the 1920s and 1930s, Ora Washington is considered one of the first Black female sports stars in history. Known for her powerful serve, Washington won 23 American Tennis Association national championships. Dubbed the “Queen of Two Courts,” Washington was also a basketball star, winning 11 consecutive Women’s Colored Basketball World Championships with the Philadelphia Tribunes.
Althea Gibson: Pioneering Spirit
Althea Gibson became the first Black athlete to compete at the U.S. National Championships (now the U.S. Open) in 1950.
In 1956, she won her first Grand Slam at the French Championships. She then clinched back-to-back Wimbledon and U.S. National Championships titles in 1957 and 1958, solidifying her status as one of the greatest players of her time. Gibson's groundbreaking accomplishments paved the way for future Black athletes in tennis and beyond.
Zina Garrison: Breaking New Ground
Zina Garrison made history at Wimbledon in 1990 by becoming the first African American woman since Althea Gibson to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Garrison also found considerable success in doubles and mixed doubles, winning several Grand Slam titles. She later transitioned into coaching.
Chanda Rubin
Chanda Rubin was a force on the court in the 1990s and early 2000s. Once ranked number 6 in the world, she made it to the semifinals at the 1996 Australian Open and the quarterfinals three times at the French Open.
Rubin, who graduated cum laude from Harvard University, was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. Since retiring, she’s been a commentator for The Tennis Channel.
Venus and Serena Williams: Redefining Excellence
Born in Compton, California, Venus (1980) and Serena (1981) were coached by their father, Richard Williams.
Venus Williams won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2000. A former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Venus Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Serena Williams has amassed 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in the Open Era. Widely regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time (the G.O.A.T.), she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No.1 five times.
Serena won 23 Grand Slam women's singles titles, the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. She is the only player to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.
With four gold medals and one silver, Venus Williams is the most decorated tennis player in Olympic history ahead of her nearest rival, younger sister Serena (four golds).
Coco Gauff: Youngest Wimbledon player; Winner over Venus Williams
Coco Gauff is a professional tennis player. She has won seven career singles titles, including the 2023 US Open, and nine career doubles titles, including the 2024 French Open. Gauff has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 2 in singles and of world No. 1 in doubles.
Gauff made her WTA Tour debut in March 2019 at the Miami Open at the age of 15. She received a wild card into the qualifying draw at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, where she became the youngest player in the tournament's history to qualify for the main draw. There, she won over Venus Williams and reached the fourth round. Gauff won her first tour singles title at the 2019 Linz Open. She reached her first major final in women's doubles at the 2021 US Open and reached her first major singles final at the 2022 French Open. In 2023, Gauff won her first WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open and first major singles title at the US Open.
Sloane Stephens: Achieved world ranking of Number 3
Sloane Stephens is a professional tennis player who has achieved a career-best ranking of world No. 3, after Wimbledon in 2018. Stephens was the 2017 US Open champion and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles. She also has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 88 and has won one WTA title.
While 19 years old, Stephens rose to prominence at the 2013 Australian Open with a semifinal run beating world No. 3, Serena Williams. Although she reached No. 11 towards the end of 2013, she regressed and stayed outside the top 25 until the end of 2015. She returned to elite level and won three WTA titles in the first half of 2016. Her successful year was cut short by a foot injury that kept her out for months.
She returned from injury in the middle of 2017 and won the US Open singles title in her fifth tournament back. She was also awarded WTA Comeback Player of the Year for her successful season.
Taylor Townsend: Wimbledon Doubles Winner for 1st Grand Slam
A professional tennis player, Townsend has been ranked as high as No. 57 in singles by the WTA, which she achieved on 8 April 2024, and she attained her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 5 on 12 June 2023. Townsend won the 2024 Wimbledon Championships doubles title with partner Kateřina Siniaková. It was the first major women's doubles title for her. She has won an additional five WTA Tour doubles titles and also reached two other major finals: the 2022 US Open and the 2023 French Open. In July 2024, Townsend won her first Grand Slam with a doubles win at Wimbledon.
Today In Black History
In 1822, Philadelphia opened its public schools to Black students.
In 1869, A.J. Hayne, the Black caption of the Arkansas militia, was assassinated in Marion, Arkansas.
In 1870, Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted to the United States.
In 1970, James McGhee was sworn in as the first African American mayor of Dayton, Ohio.
In 1994, hundreds of thousands of Hutus fled to Zaire in the Congo near the end of the Rwandan Genocide.
Our paid subscribers are encouraged to discuss this post in our W.A.S. Chat Community.
You are also welcome to view “We Are Speaking” in Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.
This post is free to read for three days. To have access 365/24/7 to our full archive, comment on our posts, and financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level.
