Alice Coachman | Celebrating Historical Black Figures

We at GoodTrust are celebrating Black History Month and want to honor the sacrifices and contributions of African Americans who fought for equality with their entire lives. Black History month rightfully celebrates heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and many others who changed the course of history.

In this article series, we would like to bring attention to lesser-known African-Americans who had an immense impact on the equality movement and the future of the United States. Particularly timely given the current Olympics in Beijing is this profile about Alice Coachman, a track star who became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. (This week, Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Winter Games.)

Alice Coachman Davis was born on Nov. 9, 1923 in Albany, Georgia. She was one of Fred and Evelyn's 10 children. Growing up, Coachman was not able to participate in any organizational sport activities due to the color of her skin and her gender. Wanting to become an athlete regardless, she trained with what she had on hand at her home. Shoeless, she often ran along the dirt roads and practiced her jumping with homemade equipment. 

While attending elementary school she was encouraged by one of her teachers to continue with her dream which led her to join the track team in high school. Being an excellent athlete she was offered a scholarship at the Tuskegee Preparatory School at the age of 16. She later on graduated from Albany State College and became a teacher and track-and-field instructor.

Aug. 7, 1948 was the day Coachman made history. The Olympic record for the high jump was 5 feet, 4 ¾ inches held by Americans Jean Shiley and Babe Didrikson since the 1932 Olympics. Coachman, however, managed to jump an unprecedented 5 feet, 6 ⅛ inches in front of 82,000 spectators. King George VI handed Coachman her the medal, making her the first African-American woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics. 

In an interview with the New York Times in 1996, Coachman said, “If I had gone to the games and failed, there wouldn’t be anyone to follow in my footsteps. It encouraged the rest of the women to work harder and fight harder.” 

Alice Coachman will be remembered as a strong-willed, hard-working athlete and hero to all women and people of color in sports. Here at GoodTrust we would like to honor Alice Coachman and her legacy with this article. Her image was animated with GoodTrust Memories. You can create your own animation here. 

Happy Black History Month!