ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, July 11, 1996 TAG: 9607110052
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
NOTE: Below
A BRONZE STATUE of the first black man to win at Wimbledon now stands on Monument Avenue, making it "now an avenue for all people," said former Gov. Douglas Wilder.
The city that barred young Arthur Ashe from its whites-only tennis courts dedicated a monument to him Wednesday on a tree-lined boulevard that had been reserved for Confederate heroes.
The bronze, 12-foot statue of Ashe - the first black man to win Wimbledon - was unveiled on Monument Avenue after more than a year of racially divisive bickering in the former Confederate capital.
``Arthur Ashe Jr. is a true Virginia hero, and he belongs,'' Ashe's brother, Johnnie Ashe of Atlanta, told about 1,500 people gathered for the ceremony.
Former Gov. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, said dedicating the monument to Ashe means the street that features statues of Robert E. Lee and other Confederates ``is now an avenue for all people.''
Ashe left his segregated hometown as a teen-ager. He died in 1993 of complications from AIDS, contracted from a blood transfusion he received during heart surgery.
Plans to honor Ashe with a statue on Monument Avenue drew bitter opposition from people who said the street should be reserved for leaders of the Confederacy. Some residents of the mostly white neighborhood also objected.
Demonstrators protesting what they felt was a slap at the Old South were on hand at the dedication.
``We're not going to allow this to happen without some sort of protest,'' said Ron Doggett of Henrico County, who held one end of a large banner that said the statue's location amounted to a hate crime.
Richard Hines of Alexandria held a Confederate battle flag.
``The intent of the placement of the statue was to debunk our heritage,'' said Hines, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Doggett and Hines said they had no problem with honoring Ashe with a statue, but felt Monument Avenue was the wrong place.
The statue's creator, Paul DiPasquale, argued that Monument Avenue is the perfect location.
``Isn't it for monuments? Isn't it for heroes? No one questions that Arthur Ashe was a hero,'' DiPasquale said.
Ashe's statue is the westernmost along the east-west street running through a gentrified, older part of the city. Huge monuments to Lee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Thomas J. ``Stonewall'' Jackson stand about a quarter of a mile apart from one another.
Ashe's likeness sits on a circular, 44-ton granite base. It depicts the bespectacled Ashe, clad in a warmup suit and tennis shoes, holding books high above his head in his right hand. He holds a tennis racket a little lower in his left hand. At his feet are four children.
Ashe's dedication to children was a theme of the ceremony. Children who participate in the mentoring program of Virginia Heroes Inc., which he founded and which raised the $400,000 to pay for the memorial, tugged at ropes to unveil the statue. Music was provided by the Boys Choir of Harlem.
Johnnie Ashe said that had Arthur Ashe lived to see the statue unveiled, he would have used the occasion to give advice to children, including: ``Treat every man as your brother.''
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Richmond residents Robin Pope-Moss and herby CNBhusband, Bartholomew Moss, watch the ceremony dedicating the Arthur
Ashe statue as protesters wave Confederate flags. 2. A crowd of
children and bystanders watch the unveiling of the Arthur Ashe
statue on Monument Avenue. The statue will grace Richmond's most
famous street, along with statues of Robert E. Lee and other
Confederate icons. color.