The late tennis great and public activist Arthur Ashe was no stranger during his life to Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center (STEC) on Blue Hill Avenue, so it seems fitting that he will return to STEC in the form of a documentary that chronicles his life and advocacy using tennis as his leverage point.
With some gentle prodding, STEC was able to recently become one of only a few sites around the country that will premiere “Citizen Ashe,” a 90-minute documentary on his life on and off the court.
STEC’s showing will be a week from Friday, June 17. It will be followed by a Q&A session with the producer and two other key people. The full documentary will air nationally on CNN on June 26.
“He was certainly outspoken on AIDS and South African apartheid and a lot of other important issues,” said STEC CEO Toni Wiley. “We want the kids to understand what it meant to take a stand and use your voice – and how Arthur Ashe did that in his life.”
Wiley noted that STEC is running its summer camp again, starting in July, and has 15 adult teams now operating, one of the few outlets for exercise during the pandemic years.
With a mission bent on teaching the game of tennis and teaching young people to be good citizens and community members, having the documentary shown in a place that Ashe frequented was critical.
“It’s important to know that even though tennis is so important to them, life is not tennis,” she said. “Life is life…This is the kind of lesson we want to allow these kids to see and for them to understand that even though tennis was [Arthur Ashe’s] lifeline, they can understand there is more to life than tennis. People like him used their prominence from tennis for the betterment of others as well.”
The documentary explores the enduring legacy of Ashe, charting his personal evolution from Grand Slam Champion to global activist against a tumultuous backdrop that included the civil rights movement, South African Apartheid, and the AIDS epidemic.
Ashe first visited Sportsmen’s in 1971 while it was under construction. Wiley said the organization was founded in 1961 and received its land at Franklin Field in 1967. Boston Globe columnist – and broadcast television commentator – Bud Collins was instrumental in helping the founders of STEC gain advocacy through tennis greats like Ashe, Billie Jean King, and Althea Gibson – among others.
Today, Ashe is highlighted in a large mural on the outside wall of STEC.
The Q&A panel following the premiere will consist of the producer, Rex Miller, former tennis professional Kim Sands, and Marisa Grimes, chief diversity officer at the US Tennis Association (USTA).
“We are excited because really our entire mission is to make tennis a way to change lives and show kids what it means to be a good citizen,” concluded Wiley. “To show this here is critical.”
Both the documentary and the panel discussion are open to the public, and start at 6:30 p.m. They are presented by the Friends of Sportsmen’s.
