Profile America for this 29th day of Black History Month. Wilma Rudolph's story is almost hard to believe. As a child, she had double pneumonia and scarlet fever, and could not walk without braces until the age of 11. Just a few years later in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, she earned the title of the "world's fastest woman," winning gold medals for the 1-and 2-hundred-meter dash, and anchoring the 400-meter relay. In 1974, she was inducted into the U.S. National Track and Field Hall of Fame. Across the U.S., 54 percent of African-American girls are enrolled in high school gym classes, and 42 percent play on a sports team. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is brought to you as a public service by the U.S. Census Bureau.

This information was provided courtesy of Profile America from the U.S. Census Bureau.