Thirty-three Hoboken Housing Authority children recently got the opportunity to take a field trip to the United States Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. for the seventh annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day.
The day was established to honor Ashe, a tennis champion who spent his years in the sport fighting racial discrimination and then spent the final year of his life seeking to broaden public awareness on the subject of AIDS.
Ashe died in 1993 after he contracted H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, through a transfusion of tainted blood during his second round of heart-bypass surgery in 1983. Ashe was the only black man to win Wimbledon and the United States and Australian opens.
“Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day is about perpetuating the legacy of Arthur Ashe and his appreciation and concern for young people,” said Pierce O’Neil, chief business officer of the USTA, recently. “It’s a great way to introduce tennis to kids and their families in a fun and entertaining way.”
The event, which was held on Saturday, August 24, included interactive games, musical entertainment, and free tennis clinics. Tennis stars Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, and Andy Roddick, co-hosts Olympic Gold Medallist/TV personality Summer Sanders and MTV VJ Quddus, and chart topping musical talent Mario and BBMak headlined the daylong event geared for kids. The event was the kick off of the US Open, which ran from August 26- Sept. 8.
In the past, the event has featured renowned performances from pop stars including Brittany Spears, Backstreet Boys, O-Town, Lil’ Bow Wow, Jessica Simpson, 98 Degrees and Hanson.
The trip was paid for by the Hoboken Housing Authority and sponsored by the Hoboken chapter of the NAACP. “They had a great time,” said Carrie Gilliard, the president of the Hoboken NAACP. “Trips like this one expose the children to experiences that broaden their minds and allow them to go out into the world and explore.”
Gilliard added some of the lessons learned in tennis can be valuable for the kids. “Tennis can teach them a lot,” she said. “They can learn the discipline it takes to become a good player and how to think independently on the court.”
She said that pros like Serena Williams, the world’s number one ranked woman player and this year’s tournament winner, can be a valuable role model to the kids growing up in the Housing Authority. At the event, Serena put on a playing demonstration for the HHA children.
“She is someone that learned to play tennis on public courts,” she said. “She is an example of what can be accomplished through hard work, practice and dedication.”
E. Troy Washington, the executive director of the Hoboken Housing Authority, said that the collaboration between the HPA and NAACP has been effective. “It’s great that they can see and experience different cultures at a young age,” said Washington from his office Wednesday. “When they see something like that start asking themselves, ‘What can I become? It opens and expands their mind and the way they see the world.”