Arthur Ashe

With Worlds AIDS Day still on our minds, we reflect back on 7 Black pioneers throughout history in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A tennis club for African American players that hosted International Tennis Hall of Famers Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe is being honored with a historic marker. The marker will be dedicated Thursday at the site where the Algonquin Tennis Club was created in 1922 by the American Tennis Association, which was […]

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A movement to rename a Richmond, Virginia, thoroughfare for groundbreaking black tennis player Arthur Ashe Jr. is cresting just as the state finds itself in turmoil over a blackface scandal involving the governor and attorney general. The man behind the street renaming says the confluence of the two unrelated developments involving […]

Tennis legend Arthur Ashe passed away this week 25 years ago after bravely announcing to the world in April 1992 that he contracted the HIV virus. Instead of disappearing into obscurity, Ashe used his fame and resources to raise awareness and assist in the treatment of the condition. Ashe, born July 10, 1943 in Richmond, […]

An effort to get the life story of Arthur Ashe to the big screen has begun in Hollywood. Writer Krystin Ver Linden has just finished a script, titled Ashe, which follows not only the on-court story of the tennis icon who broke racial barriers in the sport, but also focuses on his humanitarian work outside […]

  This week in 1992, tennis great Arthur Ashe became a champion both on the court and off when the legendary athlete announced he was stricken with the AIDS virus. Flanked by his wife, Jeanne Moutoussamy Ashe, Ashe bravely stood in front of the media on April 8 of that year and promised to combat […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Sam has been selected the winner of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The Missouri defensive end who likely will be drafted by an NFL team this weekend, will receive the award given to individuals who transcend sports at The 2014 ESPYs on July 16. Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of […]

Robert “Whirlwind” Johnson is considered the Godfather of Black Tennis. The Lynchburg, Virginia physician was a tennis master who taught black tennis champions. Johnson’s sports career began at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where he was an All-American running back. It was at Lincoln that he earned the nickname “Whirlwind” for his speed on the field. […]