black history month: arthur ashe

Born in 1943, Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player and a figure with an important legacy. He won three Grand Slam titles, and, in 1963, became the first African-American player selected for the United States Davis Cup team. In 1968, Ashe won the men's singles title at the U.S. Open. He was the first African-American to do so. Ashe made history by being the only African-American to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. Ashe was also known for his civil rights work and was involved with the anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s. Ashe died tragically after contracting HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion, but did much in his last years to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic.

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