Arthur Ashe: Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era

344 Pages·2014·3.94 MB·English

by  Ashe

Arthur Ashe
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Arthur Ashe
Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era
eric allen hall
Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore
© 2014 Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. Published 2014
Printed in the United States of America on acid- free paper
2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
Johns Hopkins University Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Hall, Eric Allen.
Arthur Ashe : tennis and justice in the Civil Rights era / Eric Allen Hall.
pages cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN- 13: 978- 1- 4214- 1394- 5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN- 13: 978- 1- 4214- 1395- 2 (electronic)
ISBN- 10: 1- 4214- 1394- 9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN- 10: 1- 4214- 1395- 7 (electronic)
1. Ashe, Arthur. 2. Tennis players— United States— Biography.
3. African American tennis players— Biography. 4. Civil rights—
United States. 5. African Americans— Civil rights— History—
20th century. I. Title.
GV994.A7H35 2014
796.342092—dc23
[B] 2013043573
A cata log record for this book is available from the British Library.
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materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least
30 percent post- consumer waste, whenever possible.
For my parents,
Don and Cathy Hall,
who always encouraged me to follow my heart
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Contents
Ac know ledg ments ix
Introduction 1
1 Richmond 6
2 UCLA 34
3 An Emerging Activist 64
4 Bright Lights and Civil Rights 97
5 Tennis Wars 119
6 Defeat and Victory in South Africa 143
7 Transitions 179
8 The Comeback 207
9 Triumph and Tragedy 235
Conclusion 269
Notes 273
Essay on Sources 315
Index 323
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Ac know ledg ments
As a child growing up in suburban Chicago in the days before the Internet, I
would entertain myself for hours by bouncing a rubber ball against the wall of my
family’s brick house. I imagined myself as Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg
hitting a home run or pitcher Greg Maddux hurling a complete game. In the eve-
nings I would peck away on a typewriter, compiling an imaginary box score from
the day’s imaginary game. I was completely in love with sports, and I even
dreamed of a career in sports broadcasting, hoping to join the ranks of Harry
Caray and Ernie Harwell. That idea didn’t quite work out, but I’m still able to off er
commentary on pop u lar culture as a historian of African American history. Bill
“Doc” White fi rst encouraged me to pursue a PhD in history when I was only a
freshman at Saint Joseph’s College. His unwavering belief in me mattered more
than he’ll ever know. Bill is a great professor and an even better human being.
At Purdue University I was fortunate to work with and learn from a number of
talented scholars. My major professor, Randy Roberts, encouraged this project
from the beginning and treated me more like a colleague than his student. He was
always available to talk about my work, yet he gave me the space that I needed to
make the project my own. Nancy Gabin, despite advising many graduate students
in the department, read my entire manuscript and off ered support and guidance
throughout my graduate career. Neil Bynum, Darren Dochuk, Jen Foray, and
Mike Morrison took time away from their busy schedules to read my work and
listen to my ideas. Doug Hurt provided generous funding for conference travel.
I am eternally grateful to my fellow graduate students, especially Johnny
Smith. Johnny has read and off ered incisive feedback on nearly every grant pro-
posal, article, and chapter that I have ever written. My deep conversations with
Johnny have sharpened my understanding of the relationship between pop u lar
culture and the black freedom movement. I am a better scholar for having
met him. Jamal Ratchford, Andrew Smith, and Nate Corzine, also members
of the Roberts cohort, helped me position my work within the fi elds of African