Remembering Arthur Ashe
February 6th, 2009 by erikaOn this day in history, in 1993, tennis great Arthur Ashe passed away at the age of 49.
Throughout his life, Ashe broke racial barriers: playing caucasian youths on segregated courts as a young man in Virginia, becoming the first African American selected for the United States Davis Cup team, traveling to South Africa in the 1980’s to promote racial equality in the face of Apartheid.
When asked to comment on the actions of Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos when they did the black power salute at the 1968 Olympics, Ashe replied:
“I respected the way they stood tall against the sky and insisted on being heard in matters other than Track and Field — on matters of Civil Rights and social responsibility. I couldn’t help but admire them.”
Throughout history, famous African Americans have used their influence — in sports, entertainment, literature — to speak out against social injustice. We salute Arthur Ashe for dedicating his life, not only to tennis, but to the Civil Rights issues that he valued so deeply.
Let’s take a trip down memory road and check out this great Civil Rights remix featuring Arthur Ashe. Prolific remixer and friend of Remix America, Joe Sabia, mashed this up for us during the DNC!
In memory of the great Arthur Ashe.
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