America has always had a problem with representation, whether in the media, politics, or sports. As time goes on, representation of our diverse country is slowly getting better, but it still has a long way to go. In honor of Black Women’s History Month, here are some black women who have done amazing things in athletics.
Sylvia Fowles plays basketball for the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA. Fowles has been playing basketball professionally for over 10 years since she was drafted in the 1st round of the 2008 WNBA Draft. Among other awards, Fowles was named WNBA MVP in 2017 and WNBA Finals MVP as well as leading her team to victory in the 2017 and 2015 WNBA Championships.
Mallory Pugh plays soccer for the US Women’s National Team, who you may have heard of in the news recently fighting for equal pay with the US Men’s National Team. Prior to going professional, however, Pugh played in the 2016 Rio Olympics for the U.S. when she was 17! Pugh is the youngest player to score a goal in the Olympics and the second youngest to play in the history of the U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer team.
Niece of the famed golfer Tiger Woods, Cheyenne Woods was destined for golfing greatness having her grandfather (Tiger’s father) to introduce and coach her in the sport. Woods has toured with the LPGA since 2012. The LPGA is a white-dominated tour with no black woman ever having won and Woods being the 6th black woman to ever play on the tour. Woods wants to see golf be a much more diverse sport saying in an interview with the Guardian, “An African American woman has never won on the LPGA, so in general, I just feel that golf needs to be more accessible and more inclusive. Whether it’s women, whether it’s what country you’re from, it would be great to see the game grow in the broadest sense.”
Gabby Douglas is an American gymnast who competed in the 2012 and the 2016 Olympic gymnast teamed dubbed the ‘Fierce Five’ and ‘Final Five’. Douglas was the first black woman to ever win the individual all-around at the Olympics and the first American to win gold in the individual competition as well as the team competition, doing so when she was only 16!
Simone Biles is also a gymnast and member of the ‘Final Five’ having competed alongside Douglas in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Between her World Championship and Olympic wins, Biles is the most decorated female gymnast of all time and the third most decorated female gymnast in history with a total of 20 medals. Biles also dominated this past 2018 Worlds Championship in Doha, Qatar becoming the first woman in 31 years to get a medal in every single event in a single Worlds. Oh, and she did that while battling kidney stones at worlds having just taken a year off after the Olympics, so we stan a true champ.
Simone Manuel is one of two black women on the USA swim team roster and the first black woman to ever win an individual swimming event at the Olympics. Manuel tied the 100m with Canadian Penny Oleksiak both swimming a time of 52.70, setting a new Olympic record for that event. Manuel is a four-time Olympic medalist with two golds and two silvers.
Serena Williams has been a part of women’s tennis since her professional debut in 1995 at just 14 years old. Throughout her career, Williams has dominated the sport winning 23 grand slam singles as well as four Olympic gold medals.
These women are proving that black women are just as successful in sports as anyone else. But maybe more important is how these women are showing young women of color that it is possible to achieve greatness in a system that always seems to be fixed against them.