Tidye Pickett (1914-1986) was the first African-American woman to compete in the Olympic Games.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s Olympian has largely been left out of the history books, despite being the first African-American woman to compete in the Olympics.
Let’s talk about Tidye Pickett.
Tidye [“Tidy”] Pickett was born in 1914, in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Her family lived across the street from Washington Park, where local foot races were often held. Tidye’s talent, and speed, were evident. She caught the eye of city officials, who recruited her for the Chicago Park District track team.
Tidye’s first big break came after competing in a Chicago Armory event. John Brooks, who at the time was a University of Chicago athlete and one of the country’s best long jumpers, asked Tidye’s parents if he could coach her. He promised a shot at the Olympics -- and in 1932, he made good on that promise.
By the time she reached high school, Tidye was one of the fastest women in the U.S. In 1932, she was selected to be a member of the Olympic 4 by 100 relay pool -- the final racers would be selected at the Games, which were being held in Los Angeles.
Along with Louise Stokes, Tidye was one of two African-American women picked for the Olympic track and field team. She was just 17 years old. Louise was 18. The two were subjected to a myriad of racist attacks and policies.
On the train to L.A., Louise and Tidye were put in a separate room near the service area. They ate meals alone, rather than with the rest of the delegation, in the banquet hall.
At one point, their teammate Mildred “Babe” Didrikson, who we profiled on this show last year, threw a pitcher of ice water onto Louise and Tidye while they were asleep in their bunk. Once they made it to L.A., the mistreatment continued. Louise and Tidye practiced with their teammates during the day, but at night they were stuck in the dorms, as the rest of the runners gathered in the whites-only dining hall.
But the most painful moment came when Louise and Tidye were replaced in the relay by two white women -- both of whom had slower times than Louise and Tidye. The teens spent the Games watching from the stands as the all-white team won the gold medal.
Four years later, in 1936, both Tidye and Louise tried qualifying d once again for the Olympic track team. While the qualifying trials yielded a frustrating performance for Louise, Tidye shined. She’d recently set an unofficial world record during a Chicago Park District track meet, opening the 400 meter relay race with a 48.6 second time. At the Olympics trials, she came second in the 80 meter hurdles, which automatically qualified her for the actual event.
When Tidye stepped onto the track at the Olympic games in Berlin, she was, at 21 years old, the first African American woman to compete in the Olympics.
Tidye ultimately made it to the semi-finals in the 80 meter hurdles. While training for the event, she’d developed something of a bad habit -- letting her trailing foot graze the hurdle. In the U.S., this wasn’t much of an issue. Runners weren’t penalized for knocking down hurdles. But at the Olympic level, the hurdles remain upright if hit, as they are attached to the track.
In her final race, Tidye hit the second hurdle and broke her foot. She couldn’t finish.
That would be the last time she raced on an international stage.
The 1940 and the 1944 Olympics were cancelled because of World War II. Tidye returned to life in Chicago. She became a teacher, serving as principal for a Chicago Heights elementary school for 23 years. When she retired in 1980, they renamed the school after her.
Tidye died in Chicago Heights, in 1986.
There are a number of reasons why Tidye’s story was untold for so many years. She was young, and a woman, and didn’t come from a pedigreed track program. She didn’t win a medal. But Tidye’s intense perseverance, despite mistreatment from her own teammates, led her to break what had seemed, at the time, like an impossible barrier.
All month, we’re talking about Olympians.
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