WBWR Podcasts, Boston.

She's always on the attack, always racing round the court,

beautiful athletic figure, and she covers the court with astonishing speed,

smashing like, almost like a man, and placing her volleys perfectly.

Almost like a man?

Well, that tape is from 70 years ago or so.

How Althea Gibson changed tennis forever.

Yeah. It's forever. It's Friday, February 20th, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBWR.

I'm Chris Bentley.

Today on the show, we continue our series exploring the history of America through 25 objects.

It's Black History Month, and the Olympics are going on.

So today, we're taking a look at items that shed light on two black athletes who dared to be great.

In a few minutes, we'll hear the story of the Olympic torch that Muhammad Ali used

to kick off the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. It marks a moment of progress, a moment of reflection,

a moment of recommitting ourselves to the Olympic values.

But first, before Billy Jean King, Arthur Ash, and the Williams sisters, there was Althea Gibson.

Tennis has had many trailblazers.

But Gibson was the first person of color in several international tennis tournaments.

In 1950, she became the first black woman to compete in the U.S. national championships,

now called the U.S. Open.

She went on to win 11 Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon in 1957.

And her outfit and racket from that historic victory have been donated to the Smithsonian Institution.

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