Arthur Ashe Boulevard Ceremony to be Held on June 22nd
Tennis - Tennis legend Arthur Ashe will have one of Richmond's most popular streets - Boulevard - named after him on June 22nd. The ceremony will be held at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
The Ashe family is elated over the news with David Harris, Ashe’s nephew commenting, “Oh man, we had a lot of excitement. A lot of folks were like ‘finally. You have Jefferson Davis Highway. You have Stuart Circle. Those guys have statues, too. So, why not acknowledge our black heroes and their accolades with a street and a statue? Look at the history and look at my uncle’s background, and the things that he did. It’s a pretty easy no-brainer. One of the most exclusive streets in the city. Full circle in life. Finally. It’s still a lot to learn from him, even though he is not here with us. We’re still learning, and this is our opportunity to make history together. Active history, which is not something we really get a chance to do.”
The renaming process has taken more than two years. Ashe already has a statue on Monument Avenue and a building named in his honour in Richmond and Harris says he would like to work on more ideas in memory of his uncle.
Ashe was the first African American to win the National Junior Indoor Tennis Tournament and went on to become the first black player selected for the U.S. Davis Cup team and the only black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2Y4E6yx
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