“I See Me”
This is a dual-perspective piece that highlights the generational activism between Serena Williams and Althea Gibson. Both images are when each Woman won the Wimbledon championship. It was handcrafted out of cut up tennis rackets, tennis balls, and tin covers for tennis packaging. When the light hits the piece, it casts a shadow for both images to appear on the wall looking at each other.
Video Below
Serena Willams and Althea Gibson
With Althea being the first Black woman to break the Tennis color barrier and win Wimbledon, Serena has often referred to her as one of her inspirations for invoking change for Black Women in sports.
"For me, she was the most important pioneer for tennis. She was Black, she looked like me and she opened up so many doors." Althea Gibson was her generation’s Serena Williams, and vice versa. Althea Gibson was not an outright athlete activist, but in the mid 1900’s, Black success was a huge from of activism in itself. Her mere success in the height of the Jim Crow Era is a critical form of protest for Women and Black people in general. She was able to lay the foundation for Arthur Ashe, the Williams sisters, and those to follow.
Fun Fact: She played tennis exhibitions and provided halftime entertainment at Harlem Globetrotters games.
