ABSTRACT
The Arthur Ashe Learning Center (AALC) was established in 2007 to forward tennis champion Arthur Ashe’s commitment to humanitarianism, education, and economic empowerment. In 2017 AALC found a new home at UCLA, Ashe’s alma mater, and transitioned to a new name, Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA (AAL). During his time at the university, Ashe made tremendous strides on the tennis team. Not only was he the first African American on the team but he also became the first African American to win an NCAA singles title during his junior year and then led the team to win the NCAA tennis championship in 1965. He graduated with a degree in business administration in 1966, before continuing his rise as a star athlete, being the first African American selected to play on the US Davis Cup team. He also won three Grand Slam titles: the US Open in 1968, the Australian Open in 1970, and Wimbledon in 1975—of which today he remains the only African American man to do so. His accomplishments off the court were just as impressive: his activism in protesting apartheid in South Africa, his unwavering support of HIV/AIDS research, and cofounding the National Junior Tennis League in 1969.
