Hidden Figures: Mabel Fairbanks #BlackHERstoryMonth 15/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Mabel Fairbanks #BlackHERstoryMonth 15/28

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting! CashApp: $SerenSensei Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei All Patrons get access to the Discord server! NEW MERCH SHOP: https://the-bheezebake-project.creator-spring.com Mabel Fairbanks (November 14, 1915 – September 29, 2001) was an American figure skater and coach. She is considered to have paved the way for other minorities to compete in the sport of figure skating. She was the first Black American inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and has also been inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. Mabel Fairbanks was born on November 14, 1915 in the Everglades. After being orphaned at the age of 8, she moved to New York City, where a wealthy woman saw her sleeping on a park bench & offered her room and board as a babysitter in her home overlooking Central Park. Fairbanks began figure skating in the late 1920s, after observing children at the Central Park ice rink. She became fascinated by the ice, & bought a pair of used skates two sizes too big for $1 from a pawn shop. She stuffed them with cotton wool & found her balance on blades by going up and down the stairs in her building, before she began skating at a small rink in Harlem. When she first attempted to skate at the Central Park rink, white youth turned her away, but she returned day after day until she was allowed in, skating in the mornings before the rink opened. As her skills & reputation grew, she was finally allowed into the public rinks. By her early 20s, Fairbanks had formed a novelty act in partnership with a roller skater, & took her ice rink show on the road. Soon, she was skating at large scale shows in Manhattan to mixed-race audiences. During the 1930s, she reached Olympic-caliber skating under the training of 9 time national champion and Olympic figure skater Maribel Vinson Owen. Although she took and passed all of the required competition tests, she was unable to join any of the clubs that sponsored figure skaters because of her race. Fairbanks was also not allowed to compete in the national qualifying event for the Olympics or any national or international competition. Instead, she continued performing in ice shows in New York throughout the 1940s and 50s. After relocating to Los Angeles, she toured internationally, skating with the “Rhapsody On Ice” Show, the Ice Capades in Mexico and later with the famous Ice Follies show as a principal skater. She also appeared in ice shows in Las Vegas, becoming friendly with the "Rat Pack" of Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. After retiring from performing in the 1960s, Fairbanks coached singles and pairs, including Olympic medalists Kristi Yamaguchi, and Atoy Wilson, the first Black American to win the US national championship. In her coaching years, Fairbanks opened the door for other young Blacks to compete in skating by applying for individual memberships from the USPSA (United States Professional Skating Association) without letting them know her students were Black. She forced LA's Culver City skating club to become the first skating institution to admit a Black American in 1965. In 1997, she became the first Black American inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in October 2001. Fairbanks was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and acute leukemia, and died from her illnesses on September 29, 2001 in California. #MabelFairbanks #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/theblackamericans https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/dacs?rq=d.a.c.s Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: An Original Ice Princess - Mabel Fairbanks: https://lasentinel.net/an-original-ice-princess-mabel-fairbanks.html Mabel Fairbanks: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/oct/08/guardianobituaries FIGURE SKATING; A Pioneer at the Rink Is Proud of Her Legacy: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/14/sports/figure-skating-a-pioneer-at-the-rink-is-proud-of-her-legacy.html Mabel Fairbanks - Breaking Down Barriers: https://web.archive.org/web/20020618092007/http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/athletes/article.html?record=71 Mabel Fairbanks Harassed By Jim Crow: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2211&dat=19450505&id=Tx0mAAAAIBAJ&pg=4076,4647016