Born: 14 November 1915, United States
Died: 29 September 2001
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Mabel Fairbanks was a pioneering American figure skater and coach known for breaking racial barriers in the sport. Born in Florida’s Everglades to an African-American father and a mother of Seminole and English descent, Fairbanks began her figure skating journey in the late 1920s. Despite racial discrimination, she persisted and received guidance from Maribel Vinson Owen and Howard Nicholson. Denied participation in national Olympic qualifying events due to racism, Fairbanks performed in New York shows in the 1940s and toured internationally with skating companies. Her coaching legacy included notable skaters like Tiffany Chin, Scott Hamilton, Tai Babilonia, and Debi Thomas. In 1997, she became the first African American inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame and was posthumously honored in the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.