Arthur Ashe Monument

The decision to place the statue of Arthur Ashe on Monument Avenue was controversial. Detractors pointed to a lack of correlation between the Richmond native tennis star and Confederate leaders. The monument became a focal point of racial tensions in the city around the times of its commission and its unveiling. Many of the city's majority African American residents cited Ashe's distinguished place in the modern history of the city as a reason for inclusion, while some residents and other parties rejected it as inappropriate for Monument Avenue, which until 1996 only contained statues of men with a relationship to the Confederate States of America.

The controversy over the statue may have also been driven by design and placement choices. The statue depicts Arthur Ashe holding a book and a tennis racket, with children below him reaching up to him. Ashe's statue is much smaller than those of most of the Confederate leaders, and is the farthest from downtown Richmond, situated just outside of the city's Fan district. It is also the only monument which faces away from the center of Richmond.

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Arthur Ashe Monument

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