#Althea75 

In 1950, Althea Gibson walked onto the grass courts of Forest Hills and changed America forever. She wasn’t just playing tennis — she was breaking a 75-year-old barrier as the first Black player, male or female, to compete at the U.S. Nationals (now the US Open).

She is a foundational figure for all women in sports — especially women of color — standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Arthur Ashe as one of the great barrier-breakers in history.

Over the next decade, she became the first Black woman to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, the first female golfer on the LPGA Tour, and — in an unforgettable moment — the first athlete to receive a trophy from Queen Elizabeth II herself. She graced the cover of Time magazine, was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City, and was celebrated in songs, films, and the hearts of millions.

Althea Gibson was, without question, one of the most significant athletes in the history of sport — not just in America, but across the world. In an era when the rules of society told her where she could not go, she went anyway. She broke more barriers, in more arenas, than most will ever attempt. And she did it at a time when the welcome mat was nowhere in sight.

Althea was more than a champion. She was an Army veteran, a humanitarian, and a trailblazer in two sports — a woman whose excellence and courage expanded the definition of what was possible. And yet, despite all of this, she has never received our nation’s two highest civilian honors:

The Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Congressional Gold Medal

Only about 650 people have ever received the Medal of Freedom, and about 170 have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. No Black female athlete has ever received both. Althea should be the first.

Why now

2025 marks the 75th anniversary of Althea breaking tennis’s color barrier. The US Open is making her the central theme of its celebration. She has been honored on a Wheaties box before, and this year, the U.S. Mint will release an Althea Gibson quarter — a permanent tribute in our nation’s currency to a woman whose courage and excellence were priceless. Her story is being rediscovered by a new generation — but without these highest honors, her legacy remains unfinished.

In 2027, the world will mark what would have been her 100th birthday. Between now and then, we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to secure the recognition she earned — to make sure future generations know her name and her impact.

We, the undersigned, call on:

The President of the United States to posthumously award Althea Gibson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The United States Congress to pass legislation awarding her the Congressional Gold Medal.

What you can do:

Sign this petition.
Share it everywhere — social media, email, text.
Show up — at the US Open and online — to tell the world you stand with Althea.

Althea Gibson played the game — and changed it forever. She opened the gates of opportunity not just for athletes, but for America itself. Let’s give her the honors she earned, for the history she made, and for the future she made possible.

Sign today. Share today. Stand for Althea.