JIM THORPE
Athlete + Activist Project
Illustration for a new project illustrating 20 US athletes from the past 75 years who took activist stances or represented socially/politically important issues through their sports achievements.
Jim Thorpe (May 28, 1888 - March 28, 1953), a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal for the US (Decathlon and Pentathlon in Stockholm) during a period of time when many Native Americans were not recognized as U.S. citizens. He was one of the most accomplished all-around athletes in history, selected in 1950 by sport writers as the greatest American athlete of the first half of the 20th century.
