For this post I wanted to honor and recognize a Black women by the name of Alice Coachman for being a pioneer in the world of sports. The 2012 theme for African American History Month is "Black Women in American: Culture and History." With this being said it is only right that I acknowledge the accomplishment of our sister Alice.
Alice Coleman was born November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia during a time where colored athletes could not use any of the training facilities, or compete in any of “The organized sports events due to the strict segregation. With the way things were in the Jim Crow South” she was forced to develop her athletic skills with limited resources, making do with training anyway she could. She would run barefoot in fields and dirt roads close to practice her sprinting. She used homemade equipment to practice her high jump like jumping over tied rags, ropes and sticks for hours at a time. At the age of 16 she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Tuskegee Institute College. Right before she headed of to college she entered the Women's National Championship and broke both the collegiate and National high school jump records in 1939. What made this so remarkable was that she did all this barefoot. Wow! Alice was also apart of the Tuskegee Women's basketball team who won three national titles. By the time she left the Tuskegee Institute College she took with her 25 national titles. During her career, she won 34 national titles, ten for the high jump in consecutive years. In 1948 Alice qualified for the US Olympic team with a high jump of 5 feet 4 inches breaking the existing16 year old record by ¾ inches. Alice would go on to be the first African American woman from any country to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. On her first jump she produced a record-breaking leap of 5 feet 6 1/8 inches, with a hurt back.
Alice Coachman was a pioneer in the world of sports. She dominated her sport like no other women or man for that matter has. Not only did she become the first African American to win an Olympic she became the first black woman to endorse an international product when Coca-Cola signed her as a spokesperson in 1952. She undoubtedly is considered to be one of the greatest of all-time (G.O.A.T.) being named to five all-American teams, inducted into eight different Halls of Fames, and being named as one of the top 100 greatest Olympic athletes ever. Her most impressive accomplishment to me was how she broke down color barriers allowing other African Americans women to have the equal opportunity in sports. Alice showed us that when given a chance African Americans can achieve insurmountable things hence the Williams sisters, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Sheryl Swoops, and the list goes on. I’m just saying!
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