In 1976, the founders of the Black Athletes Hall of Fame put together that year’s list. They included Ora Washington, the great Black female athlete of the early 1900s.

But they ran into a problem. They couldn’t find her.

Washington had died in Philadelphia five years earlier.

She Dominated Tennis And Basketball
Washington ruled Black women’s tennis in the 1920s and 1930s. She won the singles title of the all-Black American Tennis Association (ATA) eight times from 1929 to 1937. She took 12 doubles titles from 1925 to 1936. She won her final ATA championship against Walter Johnson and teenage star Althea Gibson in 1947.

She also towered over Black women’s basketball. Washington played 12 seasons for the Philadelphia Tribunes. She and teammate Inez Patterson were called “two of the greatest girl players in the world.”

Washington was born in the late 1800s in Caroline County, Virginia. She migrated to Philadelphia as a teenager. Washington didn’t pick up a racket until her 20s, but won her first ATA crown in 1929. Her achievements were widely covered in the Black press, making her the nation’s first Black female athletic star.

Racism, Retirement Hid Her Legacy
Despite her achievements, Washington had never been recognized by white America. Her years of fame came at the height of segregation. Most Black athletes were barred from the nation’s biggest sporting leagues. A few people later recalled that she had wanted to test her skills against the top white female player, the legendary Helen Wills Moody. A reporter asked Moody about Washington. Moody had never heard of her.

She left competition in 1948, just as Black athletes such as Gibson and Jackie Robinson were finally stepping onto integrated teams and sports. All eyes turned to them.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there was growing interest in Black history. Washington’s early death meant no one could track her down. Nor were historians likely to find anyone who knew her well because she didn’t move in the social circles that ran Black tennis. She worked as a housekeeper all her life. She was also gay.

As with so many Black female stars, Washington refused to meet the expectations the world placed on them. This came from the confidence and determination that were her greatest strengths. She retired from singles play in 1937. Flora Lomax became the next champion. Sportswriters loved Lomax’s white pleated shorts. She liked dancing and hanging out with stars such as boxer Joe Louis.

Washington was having none of it. In 1939, she entered a tournament and defeated Lomax. She made no secret of her reasons. She told a reporter, “They said Ora was not so good any more. I just had to go up to Buffalo to prove somebody was wrong.”

Recent Female Stars Bring New Interest In Washington
Washington has recently gained more notice. This is in part because of the achievements of tennis star Serena Williams and basketball stars A’ja Wilson and Dawn Staley. They have increased interest in the history of Black female athletes.

Washington entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. The New York Times printed a late obituary in February. The BBC has produced an eight-part podcast on her life. It’s told by retired WNBA star Renee Montgomery.

Still, there’s a very long way to go.

Serena Williams won in the first round of the U.S. Open victory in August. An excited fan tweeted out a historic lineup of Black female tennis players.

Lucy.

Althea.

Zina.

Chanda.

Venus.

Serena.

Sloane.

Madison.

Naomi.

Coco.

Lucy Stowe became the ATA’s first female champion in 1917. Althea Gibson integrated American women’s tennis. She won back-to-back titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1957 and 1958. Zina Garrison and Chanda Rubin helped pave the way for Venus and Serena Williams. They then inspired the younger stars Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff.

Who is missing?

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