Arthur Ashe: Still making a difference ten years later
2/5/03 2:29 PM
By Greg Laub, USTA.com
“When I am dead and everyone who knew me is dead and nobody remembers I ever
existed, what difference will I have made? None. None at all.”
That is a quote from the film About Schmidt, in which Jack Nicholson plays
Warren Schmidt, a 66-year-old retiree who wonders if it is possible to make a
difference in the world once we are gone.
Ten years after Arthur Ashe’s death, we see just how possible it is.
February 6, 1993 was the day that Ashe left us, and after a lifetime of
selflessness, he has also left behind a legacy that continues to make a
difference today.
An illustration of the impact Arthur Ashe’s life would have on the world was
seen just days after his death, when thousands from all over the world,
including great leaders like Jesse Jackson, Ron Brown and Andrew Young, traveled
great distances to attend his funeral in St. John’s Cathedral in New York City
.
The words spoken about Ashe that day, and every mention of him since, seem to
resonate with the same integrity and character found in Ashe’s own words. His
ideals and morals are felt every day in and out of the tennis world, as they
shine prominently in all who were touched by him, and echo into the hearts of
others.
Arthur Ashe believed one person could make a difference in the world of poverty,
racism and social stereotyping. If he could only see now what a difference his
life has made, even ten years after his death.
He would see that his efforts to increase funding for AIDS research have helped
bring AIDS awareness to the level it’s at today, where compassion has taken
the place of paranoia, where neglect in the 80's has been replaced by today's
funding, such as President Bush’s current $15 billion proposal to fight AIDS in
Africa.
He would see his Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, which he started
shortly before his death, continue to deliver innovative health and research
initiatives in Brooklyn, and often be considered the model that is replicated by
urban communities throughout the nation.
He would see a South Africa that is long free from apartheid, and he would know
that his hard work and early protests, as well as his huge influence on black
celebrities to form Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid, were enormously resp
onsible for bringing the segregation and poverty issues closer to the public eye
.
He would see the restoration of democracy in Haiti, spurred on by TransAfrica
Forum, a group he helped support at the time of his arrest in Washington for
protesting Haitian immigration policies, and he would see plans for a 2004
Haitian cruise from the Ashe Cultural Center in New Orleans, an important
milestone in honoring the historical significance of Haiti to all people of
African descent.
He would see the Arthur Ashe Monument in his Richmond hometown, where a lifelike
statue of Ashe stands on Monument Avenue, facing statues of confederate men
such as Robert E. Lee, a tennis racket raised in his left hand and books held
high in his right, children reaching upward at his feet, a reminder of his many
inspiring achievements inscribed below.
He would see Arthur Ashe Stadium, home to the U.S. Open, where he became the
first African-American to win a Grand Slam title; he would see the 72,000 square
-foot Arthur Ashe Athletic Center continuing to encourage underprivileged youth;
he would see schools all over the country incorporate his name to help
encourage individual learning and potential.
He would see the annual Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award, which Black Issues in
Higher Education honors every year since his death to those students that
display the unique combination of academic, personal and athletic achievement
that Ashe demonstrated throughout his life.
He would see the four men from flight 93 who sacrificed their lives on 9/11
honored with the annual Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the 2002
ESPYs, an award that is normally reserved for a member of the sports community
who has exemplified courage, spirit and determination to help others despite
personal hardship.
He would see all the doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, accountants, tennis
teaching professionals, and business executives that came from the National
Junior Tennis League he co-founded in 1968, an ever-expanding program that
continues to make a significant impact on the lives of many of our nation’s
youth by developing character and life values through tennis.
He would see Venus and Serena Williams come out of that same NJTL program and d
ominate the sports world – on and off the court – and continue along the path
of courage, grace and intelligence that Ashe cleared before them.
He would see bright young stars like James Blake, who was inspired to pursue
tennis after Ashe spoke to his Harlem Junior Tennis League Program, burst onto
the tennis scene, grace magazine covers and just recently be named the senior
member of the 2003 U.S. Davis Cup team – forty years after Ashe himself broke
the color barrier in U.S. Davis Cup play.
He would see interest in tennis amongst young African-Americans continue to grow
at an amazing pace around the world, including almost twice as much
participation in the past two years in the USA Tennis 1-2-3 program.
He would see athletes of all races follow his lead and use sports to make
statements about society; statements that are more far-reaching than the games
themselves could ever be.
Most significantly, Arthur Ashe would see his legacy continue to grow as time
goes on.
A 22-year-old Ashe once said, "It's my life, and a hundred years from now nobody
will know or care about it."
That may be true for the Warren Schmidt's of the world. But it’s different for
those that make a difference.
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