{"id":2684,"date":"2023-05-01T11:54:39","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T15:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/?p=2684"},"modified":"2023-05-01T11:54:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T15:54:41","slug":"a-sportswoman-who-society-is-indebted-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/eternal\/a-sportswoman-who-society-is-indebted-to","title":{"rendered":"A sportswoman who society is indebted to"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ora Washington was one of the earliest prominent African American athletes. She dominated both in tennis and basketball simultaneously, and her sports career spanned three decades. At the time, Ora Washington did not experience many of the advantages she deserved for her personal achievements. This was hindered by racism, sexism, homophobia and other obstacles&#8230; But today, as reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/uk\/eternal\/sportsmenka-pered-yakoyu-v-borgu-suspilstvo\">philadelphianka<\/a> website, she is rightfully hailed as a talent that emerges in sports once a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a1be1ff65cb2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #090909;color:#090909\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #090909;color:#090909\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a1be1ff65cb2\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/eternal\/a-sportswoman-who-society-is-indebted-to\/#Difficulties_of_Childhood\" >Difficulties of Childhood<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/eternal\/a-sportswoman-who-society-is-indebted-to\/#The_best_black_female_athlete_of_her_time\" >The best black female athlete of her time<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/eternal\/a-sportswoman-who-society-is-indebted-to\/#Her_second_athletic_love_is_basketball\" >Her second athletic love is basketball<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/eternal\/a-sportswoman-who-society-is-indebted-to\/#Throughout_her_entire_career_she_worked_as_a_servant%E2%80%A6\" >Throughout her entire career, she worked as a servant\u2026<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Difficulties_of_Childhood\"><\/span>Difficulties of Childhood<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ora Belle Washington was born around 1899 (or 1898) in Caroline County, Virginia. She was the fifth of nine children in her family. The exact date of Ora&#8217;s birth is unknown because, after the American Civil War, her home state of Virginia did not issue birth certificates for some time due to difficult economic conditions. Although the large, close-knit Washington family owned their farm, where they grew tobacco, wheat, corn and various vegetables, they lived a modest life. Unfortunately, due to the laws of the time, the Washingtons, like other Black people, were considered second-class citizens. For example, in 1900, Virginia passed a law requiring Black people to ride in separate train cars. The same was true for steamboats and schools. There was also the constant fear of violence, persecution and similar threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1908, Ora lost her mother, who died during childbirth. Later, the family, which constantly suffered from racism, also lost their farm. Ora&#8217;s father and children endured many hardships. Around 1912, this family, like many during the Great Migration, had to move north in search of a better life. They settled in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was here that Ora entered a new life that offered new opportunities. Although she continued to work on a farm in the suburbs, she was able to embark on an impressive athletic career. This was something that no previous generation of women in her family had ever known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_best_black_female_athlete_of_her_time\"><\/span>The best black female athlete of her time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1920 census, Ora was listed as a servant for one of the white families in the suburbs of Philadelphia. It is assumed that she was introduced to tennis during this period while living in Germantown. She likely began to take the sport seriously around the age of 25. Ora was introduced to tennis through the Young Women&#8217;s Christian Association (YWCA) in Germantown, where she took lessons. At the advice of her coach, Ora turned to sports as a way to distract herself after her sister&#8217;s death from tuberculosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her first serious national-level competition among dark-skinned women took place in 1923, just a few years after she was introduced to the racket. By the way, Ora held the racket unusually, almost in the middle of the handle, and rarely made full swings but performed very powerful shots. No tennis player had such movement speed as hers, a skill that Ora honed while playing basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1924, Ora Washington won the Wilmington City Championship in Delaware in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. In 1925, Ora defeated the reigning national champion, two-time winner of the national championships, Isadore Channels, in singles, which was organized by the ATA (this national African-American tennis association was founded in 1916). In singles, Ora Washington won the ATA Women&#8217;s Trophy from 1929 to 1935. Seven consecutive years of championship! In 1936, Ora lost the ATA title in singles, but regained it the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"898\" height=\"528\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2685\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-4.png 898w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-4-300x176.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-4-768x452.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-4-696x409.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>1939 Ora Washington (on the right) after winning the &#8220;Pennsylvania Open&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1925, Ora Washington, along with Lula Ballard, won the first title in the National ATA Doubles Tournament. She would go on to win this tournament for the next 11 years (until 1936). She even won her last doubles title at the age of 46. In addition to her dominance in the ATA tournaments, Ora Washington achieved many other significant victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During her sporting career, tennis was divided by race and she only competed against other African Americans. However, she wanted to play against the most successful white tennis player, Helen Wills Moody, who had won 19 major titles (French National Tournament &#8211; 4, Wimbledon &#8211; 8, US National Championship &#8211; 7). It was the dream of the best black female player to compete against the best white player. But Helen categorically refused to play against Ora. Washington had a strong desire to participate in the tournaments of the United States Lawn Tennis Association, but the organization adhered to the policy of racial segregation until 1948\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Her_second_athletic_love_is_basketball\"><\/span>Her second athletic love is basketball<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many athletes rejoice in their own high achievements in one sport, but Ora Washington surpassed many. Around 1925, her name appeared on the lists of African American women&#8217;s basketball teams. Like tennis, she pursued basketball diligently and also achieved success. This second sporting love brought Ora the image of the best African American female player in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ora Washington played for the &#8220;YWCA Hornets&#8221; team of African American athletes from Germantown. The team grew with her, with her incredible long shots and record-breaking hits. The athlete helped her team set a record of 22-1 and win the title of national champion in women&#8217;s basketball in 1931. Spectators eagerly awaited Ora on the basketball court, just as they did on the tennis court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1001\" height=\"568\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2688\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-5.png 1001w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-5-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-5-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-5-696x395.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1001px) 100vw, 1001px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Philadelphia Tribunes&#8221;. Ora Washington &#8211; third from the right<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1932, Ora Washington joined the &#8220;Philadelphia Tribune&#8221; for a period of 10 years. She was the team captain, a star shooter and even a mentor for one of the strongest women&#8217;s basketball teams of that time. The opponents of this team were primarily dark-skinned, sometimes white and even male teams. The &#8220;Philadelphia Tribune&#8221; played very successfully, winning 11 consecutive victories in the world championships of dark-skinned women&#8217;s basketball. Ora was the top scorer in the team. She played her last basketball game in 1942.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Throughout_her_entire_career_she_worked_as_a_servant%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>Throughout her entire career, she worked as a servant\u2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At 38 years old, Ora Washington officially retired from sports. However, she continued to pursue her passions, playing doubles tennis until the age of 49 (or 50). Even after leaving the sport, Ora didn&#8217;t stop training young players on public courts in Germantown. It&#8217;s worth noting that Ora Washington&#8217;s achievements in tennis prompted President Franklin Roosevelt and his administration to allocate funds for the construction of tennis courts in cities across the country, making the sport more accessible to Black people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"607\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-6.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2689\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-6.png 607w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-6-300x276.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 607px) 100vw, 607px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The talent of the athlete, Ora Washington, may not have manifested early on, but it was undoubtedly bestowed upon her by nature. Ora essentially conquered her chosen sports. In tennis and basketball, she won over 200 trophies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite being incredibly successful in sports, Ora earned so little that she couldn&#8217;t give up her day job. She worked as a maid and housekeeper throughout her career. It wasn&#8217;t until 1948 that the athlete was able to buy a home for comfortable living. Her phenomenal achievements were extensively covered by black media outlets, but others chose to ignore her. Compared to white champions, Ora felt isolated. She didn&#8217;t receive the recognition, popularity, endorsements, or anything else she deserved. Therefore, Ora Washington&#8217;s hard work didn&#8217;t bring her the well-deserved worldwide fame or wealth. Today, world-famous athletes earn millions and have their own brands. But back then, the best athlete was busy with household chores, serving her masters, and yearning in vain for recognition. Moreover, rumors circulated about the black athlete&#8217;s non-traditional orientation, which society categorically rejected. In today&#8217;s society, with its racial, ethnic, sexual, and other changes, this woman would simply not believe it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"888\" height=\"537\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-7.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2694\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-7.png 888w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-7-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-7-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.philadelphianka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2023\/05\/image-7-696x421.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 888px) 100vw, 888px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>1947 Ora Washington, second from the left<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ora Washington, a champion and star athlete in two sports, passed away at the age of 72 (73) and was buried in Virginia. In 1976, her achievements were recognized by being inducted into the Hall of Fame for Black Athletes. However, at the time, those who decided to honor her were not even aware that Ora had long since passed away. In 1986, Ora Washington was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame for Temple University in Philadelphia. In 2004, a memorial was erected in her honor in Philadelphia. In 2009, her name was added to the Women&#8217;s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, as well as the Black Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2018, she was once again recognized by being inducted into the Women&#8217;s Basketball Hall of Fame at the Naismith Memorial. In 2022, Ora Washington received another posthumous recognition in a special obituary section of the New York Times. Americans regret that this champion and star athlete in two sports was not properly appreciated during her lifetime, and now they are trying to talk more about the history and contribution of one of the most outstanding American athletes of the 20th century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ora Washington was one of the earliest prominent African American athletes. She dominated both in tennis and basketball simultaneously, and her sports career spanned three decades. At the time, Ora Washington did not experience many of the advantages she deserved for her personal achievements. This was hindered by racism, sexism, homophobia and other obstacles&#8230; But [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":291,"featured_media":2483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1035],"tags":[1414,1419,1415,1423,1424,1416,1418,1427,1422,1417,1421,1425,1426,1420],"motype":[1045],"moformat":[127],"moimportance":[34],"class_list":{"0":"post-2684","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-psychology-of-women","8":"tag-a-sportswoman-who-society-is-indebted-to","9":"tag-close-knit-washington-family-owned-their-farm","10":"tag-difficulties-of-childhood","11":"tag-her-first-serious-national-level-competition-among-dark-skinned-women-took-place-in-1923","12":"tag-her-second-athletic-love-is-basketball","13":"tag-ora-washington-was-one-of-the-earliest-prominent-african-american-athletes","14":"tag-persecution-and-similar-threats","15":"tag-she-worked-as-a-servant","16":"tag-the-best-black-female-athlete-of-her-time","17":"tag-the-same-was-true-for-steamboats-and-schools-there-was-also-the-constant-fear-of-violence","18":"tag-they-settled-in-the-germantown-neighborhood-of-philadelphia","19":"tag-this-second-sporting-love-brought-ora-the-image-of-the-best-african-american-female-player-in-the-united-states","20":"tag-throughout-her-entire-career","21":"tag-where-they-grew-tobacco","22":"motype-eternal","23":"moformat-longrid-korotka","24":"moimportance-golovna-novina"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/291"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2684"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2697,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2684\/revisions\/2697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2684"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2684"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2684"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/philadelphianka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}