Lucy Diggs Slowe: First Black Woman to Win National Title in Any Sport

Black Girls Talk Sports

In honor of Black History Month, host Rekaya Gibson pays homage to Lucy Diggs Slowe, the first African American woman to win a national championship in any sport. In 1917, she secured the women's singles title at the first American Tennis Association championship. She attended Howard University and became one of the founding members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. In 1922, Howard appointed her as the school's first dean of women, the first Black woman to hold the position at any college in the country. On October 21, 1937, Lucy Diggs Slowe passed away at the age of 52. She was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008. #KeepItSporty

Mentioned in This Episode:

Howard University, Washington, D.C.

National Association of College Women

National Council of Negro Women

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Sources:

Black Tennis Hall of Fame. (2021, March 2). “Women's History Month: The Women of Black Tennis Hall of Fame.” BlackTennisHallofFame.com. https://www.blacktennishalloffame.com/2021/03/womens-history-month-women-of-black.html

Butler, A. (2021, October 21). “Howard University Gives Tribute to the Legacy of Lucy Diggs Slowe with Street Designation Ceremony.” Howard University. https://newsroom.howard.edu/newsroom/article/15196/howard-university-gives-tribute-legacy-lucy-diggs-slowe-street-designation

Howard University. (2022). “Pittsburgh Courier: Buildings.” Digital Howard. https://dh.howard.edu/pittcourier_buildings/7/

Maryland Commission for Women. (2011). “Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame: Lucy Diggs Slowe.” Maryland State Archives. https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/slowe.html

Wikipedia Contributors. (2022, February 21). “Lucy Diggs Slowe.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucy_Diggs_Slowe&oldid=1072717037

Young, S.M. (2021, March 20). “Changed the Game: Lucy Diggs Slowe was 1st Black Woman to Win National Title, and It's a Footnote to Her Extraordinary Life.” Yahoo Sports. https://www.yahoo.com/video/womens-history-month-lucy-diggs-slowe-tennis-alpha-kappa-alpha-120056385.html