Black History Month
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USTA Colorado Observes Black History Month – Our American History, Our Colorado History
February is Black History Month where we celebrate historical achievements and contributions by people of African descent have made to this country.
In tennis, there were many trailblazers in the fight for equality, most notably Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. Gibson, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971, broke a major barrier when she entered the US National Championships at Forest Hills in 1950. Attaining the World No. 1 ranking and capturing Wimbledon and US National titles twice, Gibson personified the struggle for equal opportunity in previously restricted tournaments.
Arthur Ashe, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985, was the first African American male to capture a Grand Slam singles title (1968 US Open). Adding to his 13 career titles and spectacular Davis Cup play, Ashe was a pioneer of causes for the underprivileged, co-founding the National Junior Tennis League in 1969.
Both Gibson and Ashe came to Colorado during their tennis careers. Gibson captured the Colorado State Open in 1956 and 1957, the same years she captured the world’s attention by winning Roland Garros (French Open), Wimbledon and the US National Championships (US Open). Ashe made frequent stops playing at tournaments; one of which was his first US Davis Cup match played at the Cherry Hills Country Club in 1963.
In recent history, Serena Williams continues to make her mark by winning her 19th Grand Slam title, surpassing Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and continuing her unbeaten run in six Australian Open finals. Serena and Venus made their have a Colorado connection with their trek in 2006 for a promotional tour with several appearances including at the Ronald McDonald House for sick kids in Denver, addressing more than a thousand school kids in the gym at Manual High School and wrapping up with a competition against each other at an exhibition match in Broomfield.
In Colorado, we have our own trailblazers who courageously excelled as “firsts” in the sport of tennis. Some of these pioneers include: Melvin McCurley, the first African-American to win the Colorado State Open men’s singles title (1982); Tabatha Knopp, the state’s first African-American to win the state high school championship (2005); Bonnie Champion, the first African-American female tennis umpire in Colorado and a serious competitor in city and regional tournaments; Tariq “TQ” Hamid was the first African-American to play for Manual High School, and in 1965 became the first African-American to play on the University of Colorado’s tennis team.
Join us in celebrating the legacy of Colorado’s Breaking the Barriers pioneers who lead the path to allow everyone who has a desire to play tennis and enjoy this lifetime sport.
Celebrating Black History Everyday