One, I think we don’t, don’t know our history. A lot of young Black girls growing up in Chicago when I did in the 60s and early 70s knew about Althea Gibson because our communities were segregated. I say they were segregated positively because they focused on making people feel proud of their cultural heritage. You know, there were books that we read in public school that talked about the heritage of Black and brown people.
And so it wasn’t shocking that I knew about Althea Gibson, and she was my shero. Fast forward 50 years, a lot of young people don’t even know about Martin Luther King. But it points to the intentionality that is required in our society to make sure that young people know where they’ve come from so that they know where they’re going. And I think that’s part of the job of sports, is to make sure that you understand the past, the present and the future.
