Women's History Month: Billie Jean King

Photo from Sports Illustrated

Billie Jean King is a tennis champion and a pioneer for equality and social justice. She was named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine and honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In August 2006, the National Tennis Center, home of the US Open, was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in honor of her accomplishments, both on and off the court. She is truly an inspiring woman, and likeable too. Check out the TEDWomen interview.

Resources

Gould, Karen. “Billie Jean King.” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2022. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=ers&AN=90669588&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=ath2

Billie Jean King. (2017). In Top 101 Reformers, Revolutionaries, Activists, and Change Agents (pp. 94–95). eBook. To view from home, sign in with your ATC username and password

Battle of the Sexes tennis match: September 1973

Video quality is not great but includes pre-game commentary and talking to folks in the crowd.