Louise Stokes BY: HAZEL QUEEN

More about the Louise Stokes‘ SWITCHBOX:

Hazel’s switchbox honors Louise Stokes Fraser, a Malden-born global track star and the first Black woman to make a U.S. Olympic team. Despite her elite status, she faced systemic discrimination: in the 1932 Los Angeles Games, she was replaced by another athlete hours before competing. Stokes returned home with dignity, continuing her training until the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Although the Malden community raised funds to send her to Berlin, a racist coach pulled her from her race just minutes before it began. Stokes was twice robbed of her opportunity to compete on the world stage, making this box a vital tribute to a chapter of Malden’s history.