The Official Arthur Ashe Boulevard After-Party hosted by Graduate Richmond & Arthur Ashe Boulevard Initiative. This special celebration at the host hotel will cap off the wonderful 3-days of the excitement around our City and the legacy of Arthur Ashe.

Music by DJ Alex. Byrd House Rooftop is 21+

https://www.graduatehotels.com/richmond/

The Official Arthur Ashe Boulevard Community Celebration presented by Dominion Energy
Celebrate with the community and participate in sponsored tennis clinics for kids and adults. This event will host a kid-friendly atmosphere with games, food & music and much more.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

1:00pm: Arthur Ashe Tennis Festival doors/courts Open (free admission)

The Tennis Festival will feature Local Tennis Organizations taking over the Arthur Ashe Center, for a wide range of interactive activities for family members of all ages and skill levels.

City of Richmond, Parks and Recreation will host a celebration of a game where no one sits on the sidelines. It’s easy to learn and tailored for all ages and abilities, giving kids a game that will help them build friendships and learn skills they’ll use for life.

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

• Red Ball/Short Court Tennis

• Tennis Skill Clinics

• Cardio Tennis

• Face Painting

• Tennis Warriors Course

• Arthur Ashe Jr. Exhibit

• Rally Courts

• Food Trucks

• Community Partners

And much more…

1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Tennis Festival Stage
Hosted By Kelli Lemon and DJ Lonnie B

Arthur Ashe Boulevard Battery Park Neighborhood Celebration
Join in this Free City celebration by riding a city tour bus or driving to Battery Park where Arthur Ashe Jr. played and taught tennis.  Tour the Arthur Ashe tunnel Mural and Arthur Ashe monument. The Metro Richmond Tennis Club will coordinate skill games and lessons for kids of all ages on 5 of the 10 tennis courts with open tennis play on 5 courts.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Arthur Ashe Tennis Court, 400 Overbrook Road, Richmond

1:00pm – 5:00pm: Tunnel guides from The Friends of Battery Park will explain the history of Arthur Ashe and the creation of the tunnel mural that commemorates his life.

1:00 – 4:00pm:  Youth will rotate between courts 1-5 where they will participate in skilled activities. 

·    Court 1:   Prize Hitting

·    Court 2:    Duck Duck Goose / Dodge Ball

·    Court 3:    Speed Serve / Target Court

·    Court 4:    Forehand

·    Court 5:    Backhand

3:00pm: Unveiling of the plaque commemorating theArthur Ashe Tennis Tunnel Mural

3:00 – 5:00pm: Exhibition Doubles Tennis match and line dancing on court 3

Music By DJ Jermaine O’Neil

Make history and attend the Unveiling Ceremony

This ceremony will be conducted by an A-list of celebrities, city officials, dignitaries and family of the late-great Arthur Ashe.

Please visit the link below for more details:
https://www.virginiahistory.org/attend-event/calendar/arthur-ashe-boulevard-dedication-and-grand-opening-groundbreaking-exhibition

Arthur Ashe Tennis Under the Lights Event
(Starts at 6:00 PM)

Celebrate the naming of Arthur Ashe Boulevard at the historic Byrd Park tennis courts!
Arthur Ashe Boulevard Tennis Under the Lights is a FREE doubles-only tennis competition designed to deliver almost non-stop tennis while serving up fun and competition.

Register as a team or an individual player. Men’s and Women’s Divisions will be formed to provide uniform skill groupings. The event committee will do its best to match you with a partner if you register without a partner.

Registration ends Tuesday, June 18th at midnight.

You must be 21 years old to enter. Participation will be limited to first 20 teams or 40 players. Prizes for division champions and finalists.

Family Fun at Movies at the Park featuring: The Lego2 Movie

Activities begin at 8pm and movie begin at 8:30 (or when it gets dark)

Refreshments will be available for sale.

Join the Arthur Ashe Boulevard Initiative x Afrikana Independent Film Festival as we kick off the Arthur Ashe Boulevard dedication weekend!

Meet us at the VMFA Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for the Arthur Ashe Boulevard Social Justice Forum featuring the RVA premiere of Ashe '68 (VR version) and the big screen presentation of ESPN's short film, Johnnie and Arthur.

Screenings will be followed by a panel discussion about how the renaming of Arthur Ashe Boulevard is an extension of his legacy and how it can be a catalyst to move our city forward.

Panelists include Johnnie Ashe, younger brother of Arthur Ashe, Sionne Neeley of Initiatives of Change, Justin Tinsley of ESPN'S Undefeated, Michael Paul Williams of Richmond Times Dispatch and Clovia Grooms Lawrence of KISS FM. Panel moderated by Marc Cheatham of the Cheats Movement.

Free & Open to the public

Doors: 6:30p

Event: 7p

Enjoli Moon, Host
Enjoli Moon is the founder and creative director of the Afrikana Independent Film Festival, a festival dedicated to showcasing the cinematic works of people of color from around the world - they place a special focus of the global Black narrative.      

Marc Cheatum, Moderator
Marc Cheatham is a freelance writer and photographer. In 2011, he launched The Cheats Movement Blog, a platform that celebrates the Richmond region as a hub for music, art, culture, and diversity. 

Johnnie Ashe, Panelist
Retired marine and brother of Arthur Ashe

Clovia Lawrence, Panelist
Clovia “Miss Community” Lawrence is a multi-Virginia Association of Broadcasters award winning journalist, and continues to lead the charge on moving our communities forward with team collaboration on voter registration, voter empowerment, restoration of rights, ending the stigma of mental health and substance use disorders through monthly ‘Barbershop Talks’ just to name a few.

Sionne Rameah Neely, Panelist
Sionne Rameah Neely, PhD is a womanist researcher, writer, teacher and multimedia producer who spent eight years cultivating critical movements in the artist community of Ghana before returning to her hometown of Richmond and joining Initiatives of Change USA as Director of Marketing & Communications. 

Justin Tinsley, Panelist
Justin Tinsley is a Sports and Culture Reporter for ESPN’s The Undefeated. Since 2015, he has used his masterful narrative skills to offer thought-provoking and engaging commentary on a range of timely and culturally relevant topics. From Marvin Gaye to Malcolm X, Lauryn Hill to Cardi B, Muhammad Ali to Serena Williams, Biggie Smalls to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, LeBron James and Zion Williamson to Nipsey Hussle and Jay-Z, Justin finds common themes and uses his pen to explore the intersection of sports, race, and culture.

Michael Paul Williams, Panelist
Michael Paul Williams is a columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the daily newspaper of Virginia’s capital.  The columns, which run twice a week, are his take on the doings of local government, matters of social justice and how the unresolved issues of race, poverty and the past continue to inform and afflict Richmond today.