“Listen In With KNN” is back serving up another powerful episode as award-winning host and executive producer Kelsey Nicole Nelson sat down with Glenn Gilliam, director of strategic partnerships for the Althea National Screening Tour and founder of the Althea Came First Difference Maker Award.
For nearly a decade, Gilliam has championed the award-winning documentary ALTHEA, bringing the story of tennis and golf pioneer Althea Gibson to audiences across the country through screenings, educational outreach and community events.
Gilliam partnered with filmmaker Rex Miller in 2015 after working on a separate documentary about multicultural achievement in golf and discovering how central Gibson’s story is to Black tennis history and American sports history.
“I enjoy sharing the story, because it touches so many other points,” Gilliam said. “The fact that she’s from a Black community like Harlem, and born and raised in South Carolina — which is where my mother’s family is from — makes it so relatable. So many families can connect to her journey. The rest of it is really incredible, because she was a truant during her high school years, a bit of a street run around, and yet she became this world-class athlete who broke barriers.”
Gilliam said the documentary not only highlights Gibson’s triumphs on the court but also the institutions that made her rise possible, including the American Tennis Association, the nation’s oldest Black sports organization founded in 1916.
“I’m so proud of what Rex put together, because it really elevates the whole story. It’s about Althea, but more importantly, it’s about the organizations around her. I can’t talk about Althea’s rise without talking about the American Tennis Association or Dr. Walter Johnson, who, at this point, is the only Black coach in the Hall of Fame — which is something we’re hoping to rectify soon,” he said.
Gilliam’s advocacy has extended into the streets of Harlem. He filed the application in 2019 to rename West 143rd Street “Althea Gibson Way,” a campaign that culminated in the official renaming in 2022.
“I mean, this is a situation where we know gentrification is taking place everywhere, and Harlem is no different, maybe more so than most places,” Gilliam said. “Convincing the new residents who weren’t familiar with her story was a challenge, but it was important. She’s been a hidden figure for far too long.”
He credits the visibility the film provided for helping preserve Gibson’s memory in her own neighborhood and for sparking renewed local interest in her life and accomplishments.
Their conversation moved from history to representation in the present day, with Nelson and Gilliam reflecting on the cultural power of role models. Gilliam praised toy industry moves like the Venus Williams Barbie as meaningful symbols for young people.
“We see with social media, there’s a number of folks who may resemble a Barbie look-alike who have so much influence just based on appearance,” he said. “So many people have said it, ‘If you can see it, you can achieve it.’ Representation is so important, because that’s what we haven’t had for so long in so many realms.”
He argued that visible role models help negate the long silence around Black trailblazers in tennis and other sports.
Gilliam also highlighted the work still needed to secure long-overdue honors for Gibson, including pushes for recognition such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal and South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto. He noted the puzzling gaps in halls of fame and institutional honors: only a handful of Black figures have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as players and contributors.
“Althea had to be the best because it’s an individual sport,” Gilliam said. “If you get out there and get crushed, then the opportunity for the next person is much less. Arthur Ashe talks about, ‘If not for Althea, I’m less probable.’ Too many people associate Arthur with breaking the color barrier, but it was Althea, a generation before.”
He added a warning about delayed recognition: “If you wait 75 years to honor, too many people have passed on that should’ve been part of that celebration.”
Looking ahead, Gilliam said his work will continue at the U.S. Open, where organizers have commemorated the 75th anniversary of Gibson’s debut. He’s also pursuing recognition tied to the 70th anniversaries of her Grand Slam victories at the French Open and Wimbledon.
“Her accomplishments weren’t in a team sport where others could carry the weight,” Gilliam said. “She was out there alone, with the pressure of representing an entire community. That’s why Althea’s legacy should be commemorated annually, just like Jackie Robinson.”
He stressed the importance of preserving the stories of unsung heroes whose labor opened doors for later generations, calling for a fuller public accounting of the people and organizations that laid the groundwork for today’s Black athletes.
Gilliam’s path to preserving Althea Gibson’s story grew from a career in communications and marketing that began after an early stint at the Federal Reserve Bank and a formative mentorship under Byron Lewis, a pioneer in Black advertising. His work with the Althea National Screening Tour and the Althea Came First Difference Maker Award reflects a commitment to education, community engagement and institutional advocacy.
As he prepares to bring Gibson’s story to new audiences, Gilliam said the goal is simple but urgent: ensure that Althea Gibson is remembered not only as a champion but as a pioneer whose life reshaped American tennis and opened possibilities for generations to come.
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