Hi! For our last Sports Spotlight of this year's series I had another double or triple threat. I don't often focus on tennis when thinking of Black presence in professional sports, but it's one that I'm looking forward to exploring more as I put these together every year. Today we have another mismatch of sorts on our hands, which you'll remember we had back on the 14th with Alexander Twilight. Even though today's entrant is on here for her sports accomplishments, she is actually remembered more, and rightfully so, for her impact on the world of education. I didn't put her in the ELM category though because I thought her sports achievements were notable and deserved their moment as well. It was also kind of a cheat, because I got an extra ELM out of this Spotlight. lol So many of our entrants had skills and presence in a number of fields and that's actually happened a few times. When I look back over the different fields some of our entrants accomplished, I want to make sure I properly categorize everyone, but it helps me to remember not to put myself into a box when trying to find my professional footing. You can take over the world of sports then become an educator, an activist, a politician, still have a family on top of all of that and STILL have time to achieve creative or secondary goals. I love that. Let's get to today's entrant!
Name: Lucy Diggs Slowe, 1885-1937
Profession: Tennis player, educator/administrator
Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her accomplishments in both sports and academics, and her dedication to fighting for equality for Black women
Notables:
--was the first Black woman to hold the position as Dean of Women at Howard University
--was the first Black person to win a major title in any sport when she won the American Tennis Association's first national tournament
--was a 17-time tennis champion in her short sports career
--was the first person from her high school and the first scholarship recipient to attend Howard University
--was one of the nine original founders of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority (the first Greek letter sorority established by Black women) when it was founded unofficially and later when it was officially incorporated
--helped organize and form the National Council of Negro Women, where she later served as its secretary
--founded the Association of Advisors to Women in Colored Schools, which was designed to help provide Black women with proper representation for women's issues, assist them by way of mentors and advisors, and give them adequate housing during their time in school, among other things
--created the first junior high school in the District of Columbia and was then appointed as the first principal of the school
--was posthumously honored with a building called Lucy Diggs Slowe Hall, which was initially built by the US government to house Black female government workers and was later donated to Howard University, where it is now a co-ed residence hall
--served as the first president of Alpha Kappa Alpha after its incorporation
--helped establish Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity at Indiana University
--was able to open the door for other Black women in education to become deans of educational institutions
--founded the National Association of College Women, which was a collaborative effort by others in the educational system to share their resources and build representation for Black women, and served as the organization's first president
--was posthumously featured in an exhibit held by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum that profiled female tennis champions
--was the original namesake of the now Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School in the DC area
--was posthumously honored with a plaque presented by the National Association of Women Deans, which now hangs in their DC headquarters
Further reading links:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Quote of the Day:
"Leader of young womanhood
Friend to all humanity."
--The inscription on Lucy Diggs Slowe's headstone
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