Jackie Joyner Kersee

“HERstory” Panel Profiles Groundbreaking Women in Sports

The Los Angeles Sparks brought together trailblazing women in the sports world for their HERstory Panel. The panelists included L.A. Kings scout Blake Bolden, retired NBA referee Violet Palmer, Kansas City Royals co-owner Karen Daniel, and SLG Impact CEO and founder Shauna Griffiths.

Black Females in Sports Leave Lasting Legacy

Lucy Diggs Slowe Lucy Diggs Slowe entered in the American Tennis Association’s first national tournament in 1917. She won the tournament title, becoming the first African American women to win a major sports title. Slowe was also a 17-time tennis champion. She attended Howard University and created the first junior high school in the Washington D.C. school system. Althea Gibson Harlem, New York was the first place where Althea Gibson learned how to play paddle tennis. In 1943, she won the New York State Negro Girls Singles title. Gibson became the first African American to play in Wimbledon in 1950.