Expressing the sense of Congress that Althea Gibson should be recognized for her ground breaking achievements in athletics and her commitment to ending racial discrimination and prejudice within the world of sports.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, Althea Gibson overcame unbelievable odds to achieve international acclaim and success. Her journey from Harlem to Wimbledon reveals her strength of character and her

remarkable composure in the face of racial prejudice. She built the foundation on which Venus and Serena Williams and Tiger Woods now stand.

The life of Althea Gibson is much more than a story about a successful tennis champion. It is a story about education, opportunity, hope, perseverance, and the responsibility we all have for helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Althea Gibson was born on August 25, 1927, in the small town of Silver, South Carolina. Her family moved to Harlem in New York City when she was 3. Her family was on welfare. She was a client of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She had trouble in school and was often truant. She ran away from home frequently.

Tennis, which first came to the United States in the late 19th century, by the middle of the 20th Century had become part of a culture of health and fitness. Public programs brought tennis to children in poor neighborhoods, though those children could not dream of playing in the elite tennis clubs.

Althea played paddle tennis in public recreation programs and became quite proficient. Musician Buddy Walker noticed her playing table tennis and took her to the Harlem River Tennis Courts, where she learned the game and excelled. By 1942, Gibson had won the girls' singles event at the American Tennis Association's New York State tournament, an all-black organization. She won again in 1944 and 1945.

In 1946, two tennis-playing doctors who were active in the black tennis community, Hubert Eaton of North Carolina and Robert Johnson of Virginia, took in Althea Gibson, Eaton during the school year and Johnson during the summer. Gibson, who had dropped out of high school, was made to finish high school and eventually graduated from Florida A&M University in 1953.

In 1950, when Gibson was 23 years old, she was permitted to play at the U.S. Nationals, becoming the first black to compete in the tournament. In 1956, Althea Gibson made history by becoming the first black person to win the French championships. The next year she made history by winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, the first black to win either. Althea won six out of a total of 11 Grand Slam events, including six doubles titles, on her way to the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Althea Gibson is quoted as saying, ``I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it's half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people who cared enough to help me.''

Though Arthur Ashe and the Williams sisters have met their own challenges, Althea Gibson was the first black person of either sex to break the color barrier in national and international tournament tennis at a time when prejudice and racism were far more pervasive in society and in sports. Althea Gibson was not only somebody, she was someone special.

So we celebrate the life of Althea Gibson by ensuring that our policies and laws lift up and assist the less fortunate among us so that they too may fulfill their dreams and their potential as Althea Gibson did. I commend the gentleman from New York for introducing this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 69) expressing the sense of Congress that Althea Gibson should be recognized for her ground breaking achievements in athletics and her commitment to ending racial discrimination and prejudice within the world of sports.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 69, the concurrent resolution now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 69 celebrates the remarkable life of Althea Gibson. She was the first African American player to compete at Wimbledon and the U.S. championships. She ultimately won both titles in 1957 and 1958, becoming the first African American to win both tournaments.

Mr. Speaker, more important than her victories has been her presence at these tournaments at which black players had never before competed. She is rightfully known as the ``Jackie Robinson of women's tennis,'' and her courage has had the same incredible impact on her sport that Jackie Robinson had on baseball.

As a young woman, she won 10 straight of the all-black American Tennis Association tournaments beginning in 1948. Her success led her to become quite a celebrity, and the public pressure finally forced the all-white American Lawn Tennis Association to invite her to compete at the U.S. championships in 1950. By the next year, in 1951, Wimbledon invited her to play. Well, not only did she play, Mr. Speaker, but she won both tournaments in 1957, and she won both again the next year. Her skill on the court and her class off the court during this difficult period in American history paved the way for future stars like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, James Blake, Zina Garrison, Arthur Ashe, and others to excel playing the game they love.

Mr. Speaker, this is truly a worthwhile resolution, and I commend the gentleman from New York for working with the Committee on Government Reform for bringing this resolution to the floor. I hope this resolution serves to honor Althea Gibson, for, as the resolution states, her groundbreaking athletic achievements, and for continuing to serve as a role model for the Nation's youth. Althea Gibson's athletic career and her courageous personality are vital threads in the fabric of our Nation's history, and I am pleased that the House is acting on this resolution that pays tribute to her tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H. Con. Res. 69 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to this concurrent resolution be printed in the Record.