Growing up, I was always fascinated by figure skating. I vividly remember watching movies like Ice Princess, going to Disney on Ice and being enamored by the graceful and complex moves. Like many young black girls in our society, I was very discouraged by the lack of representation in the media, especially concerning sports.
In honor of Black History Month and the Winter Olympics, I decided to honor Debi Thomas, the first African-American woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Debi’s historical win at the 1988 games was groundbreaking for black women across the country.
Thomas was born in 1967, just a year before the end of the Civil Rights Movement in 1968. Being born during the height of racial segregation proves just how monumental her win was. She began skating at the age of five, by the age of ten she began to train for the Olympics. In 1986 she became the first African-American woman to win a senior title at the U.S Figure Skating Championships. Thomas was able to achieve this while studying undergrad at Stanford university.
In 1988, she joined team USA at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. Thomas was awarded the bronze medal for figure skating, becoming the first African-American to win a medal in any sport at the Winter Olympics. She was also revolutionary for being one of the first woman to compete wearing pants. Following this historic win, she went on to win the U.S Championships again.
After retiring from skating, Debi Thomas graduated Stanford University and attended Northwestern University Medical School. She went on to become an orthopedic surgeon. In 2010, she was inducted into the U.S Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Debi Thomas will always be an inspirational woman. Not only was she an Olympian athlete, but a surgeon as well. Despite many hardships, including mental illness and bankruptcy, Thomas continues to inspire young women across the world.