Tennis Legend and Activist Arthur Ashe Was a Brother of Kappa Alpha Psi

Before he became a global icon for grace, discipline, and athletic excellence, Arthur Ashe walked the path of brotherhood, as a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr., a son of Richmond, Virginia, was more than just a tennis champion. He was a trailblazer, the first Black man to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, a feat still unmatched. His career ended with 51 titles and 818 wins. But beyond the court, Ashe was deeply rooted in the traditions of Black excellence. He pledged the Upsilon Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi while studying on a tennis scholarship at UCLA, becoming part of a brotherhood that, like him, was committed to achievement in every field of human endeavor.

After college, Arthur Ashe served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968, reaching the rank of second lieutenant while stationed at West Point. Even in uniform, he continued to compete, winning the first-ever U.S. Open in 1968 as an amateur. Though unable to accept the prize money, he made history as the only Black man to win the title. A year later, Ashe co-founded the National Junior Tennis League to introduce underserved youth to tennis while promoting discipline and academic focus.

Ashe’s rise began on the segregated courts of Virginia, where early mentors instilled not just tennis fundamentals, but a code of discipline and dignity that shaped his signature composure. With a racket in hand, he battled racial barriers and international opponents alike, eventually becoming one of the most respected athletes in the world. But off the court, Ashe wielded his voice for justice. He protested apartheid, advocated for Haitian refugees, and shattered misconceptions around HIV and AIDS after publicly revealing in 1992 that he had contracted the virus through a tainted blood transfusion during heart surgery.

Until his final days, Ashe was driven by purpose. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. He took 6 years and authored the groundbreaking A Hard Road to Glory, a definitive history of Black athletes, and penned his memoir Days of Grace in his final weeks. Just months before his passing in 1993, he was honored as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year and posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

His legacy lives on, not only in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world’s largest tennis arena, but also in the values he stood for: excellence, courage, and community. For the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi and the Black Greek community as a whole, Arthur Ashe remains a powerful reminder that greatness isn’t just what you achieve, it’s how you uplift others along the way.