Althea Gibson made history by breaking barriers in tennis. Now she is getting a street renamed in her honor.
During a celebration Thursday, Gibson — who was the first Black tennis player to win a Grand Slam title — was honored in her hometown, Harlem, by having a street renamed after her on what would have been her 95th birthday. The intersection of West 143rd Street and Malcolm X Boulevard, where Gibson grew up, is now called Althea Gibson Way.
The ceremony took place in front of Gibson’s old apartment building on 143rd Street and was attended by the tennis star’s family, who received a replica of the new street sign. Gibson’s great niece, Sonia Melvin, spoke about how much Gibson meant to the family.
“She was just auntie to us,” Melvin told NBC News New York. “I mean, she wasn’t this big icon to us — but we loved her.”
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