Source: Joe Scarnici / Getty
In February during Work with Karen its Black HER-Story Month where we are celebrating Black History month with #SheFacts of female trailblazers.
Why We Love Her: Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas is best known as the first African American to win the individual all-around event. She also won gold medals for the U.S. in the team competitions at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Stats: Gabrielle Douglas was born on December 31, 1995, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She began formal gymnastics training at 6 years old and won a state championship by the time she was 8. She moved away from her hometown and family in 2010 to pursue training with a world-renowned Olympic trainer, and was selected to compete with the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Ladies First: Gabrielle Douglas became the first African American to win gold in the individual all-around event. She also won team gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Impact: Douglas has made it possible for young African American girls to have a dream and work hard for it at any age. Great athletic role model, her autobiography Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith released in 2012. The Gabby Douglas Story, a television movie about her life, aired on Lifetime in 2014.
On July 11, 2016, the day after she was named to the Olympic team, Douglas debuted her new Barbie Shero doll.
