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Arthur Ashe's Views On Civil Rights

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When Ashe was born, Monument Avenue in Richmond was lined solely with statues of confederate leaders like Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee; now a bronze statue of Arthur Ashe, holding a book and a tennis racquet in his hands, surrounded by children, stands on that same street. His legacy lives on in the naming of the main court at the US Open, the Arthur Ashe Learning Center, and the Arthur Ashe Courage Award given annually at the ESPYS. Fittingly, the award recognizes athletes and non-athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field. Past recipients of the award include Jim Valvano, Pat Tillman, Nelson Mandela, and Tommie Smith. These are just a few of the ways, that Arthur Ashe, three-time Grand Slam champion, has been lionized …show more content…

Soon after winning the US Open, CBS brought him on the show not to discuss his athletic accomplishments, but his beliefs as an African-American activist. He spoke about the government's failure to enforce federal civil rights legislation and spoke about the Civil Rights and Voting Acts. While he embraced much of the black power movement, he also denounced the more radical parts of black nationalism. While people on all sides of the aisle lauded this singular performance for its intelligence and rationality, many criticized him for his views on civil rights. Ashe believed he was "doing it his own way," but many saw his mild-mannered responses to discrimination as cowardly, or even Uncle Tom-esque. Billie Jean King, the female tennis player, once said, "Christ, I'm blacker than Arthur …show more content…

Richmond was a segregated city, and Ashe lived in a poor, black neighborhood. Jim Crow laws were in full force in the South in the 1940's, restricting African-Americans to inferior amenities; and Ashe grew up swimming in "colored pools." Social mobility was very limited, and lynchings still occurred. Moreover, African-Americans weren't even guaranteed some of America's most fundamental rights, including the right to vote. The Virginia constitution banned blacks from voting from 1902 to 1965 and they had little political power. There were no black city councilmen between 1896 and 1948. Arthur Ashe's childhood world was one of white

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