Tidye Pickett, born November 3, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, was the first African American woman to represent the United States at the Olympic games. She and Louise Stokes were chosen to participate in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
Pickett competed in the 100-m dash and won, placing her third in the semi-finals. She qualified for the final, and placed sixth.
Pickett and Stokes were selected to be in the 4x100 relay, but were left out of the finals. It seems racism played a role in the omission from the games, but the ruling remains disputed.
After the Olympics, Pickett became a school teacher and served as principal at an elementary school in East Chicago Heights, until her retirement in 1980. She passed away in November 1986.
A brief history of Tidye Pickett
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