The First African American to win the U.S. Open Tennis Championship, was ARTHUR ASHE, in 1968; there has not been another since.
It’s a phrase associated with one set of people who have mustered a fight for as long as the Hebrews have been enslaved by the Egyptians.
The gladiator, the bullfighter, the amphitheater, the coliseum, the GOAT (Greatest of All Time)
For the African, and more specifically, the African American, “overcoming” has become as essential as fried chicken.
Since 1954, with the passing of the Civil Rights Act, the African American has resigned to the life of “matter of fact” laissez faire.
The African American youth see no heroes today. The leaders do not example themselves for the youth to copy or emulate.
Take tennis, the last time an African American man won the US Open, was 1968, ARTHUR ASHE, 7 years later he won Wimbledon. There’s a stadium named after him, at the Flushing Meadows complex, home of the U.S. Open Tennis Association.
Today’s youth are about basketball and football, not tennis.TENNIS though, is the OVERCOME sport. It requires more than what football and basketball lay down as requirements to be successful: tenacity, awareness, speed, mental confidence,anticipation, balance, vision, and outthinking the opponent in seconds; no time outs!
BEN SHELTON came close to winning, the 2026 OPEN. He was outplayed by a German, who took 25 years to get to this level. (Alexander Zverev is now 29)
(BEN SHELTON, {below} IN SERVING MOTION. SERVING SPEED 148 MPH.
As he Alexander, said in his acceptance speech, his mother who never watches his matches did not give up on him, and fought to “overcome” what he had from 4 years old, Type 1 DIABETES. He was taking insulin in his stomach on the rest bench during change overs, at the tennis tournament. Let’s see if our youth, and BEN, can develop those characteristics, useful in all fields of endeavor, and become part of the new, WE SHALL OVERCOME generation.
ALEXANDER ZVEREZ
Cupid in Flight
48” x 48” Giclee print on archival paper.