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Many athletes dream of competing in the Olympics. So when track and field qualifiers came to Illinois for the 1932 Olympics, Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes were determined to make the cut.
Stokes and Pickett came in fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 4 x100 relay. Stokes qualified as a placed member of the U.S. Olympic team; Pickett qualified as her alternate. But their Olympic dream quickly became a nightmare.
The pair were excluded from team meetings and dinners and forced to share a compartment on the train while their white teammates had private quarters.
Even with local papers writing about the pair competing for Team USA, the women were barred from competition at the last minute. Four years later, they eventually competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
This country’s exploitation of Pickett and Stokes was cruel and demeaning, and yet Black athletes continue to show up for this country despite the treatment they receive. What does this say about what we’re willing to accept from those who only benefit from our labor?