Breaking the Barriers
The ATA and Black Tennis Pioneers

This video explores the history of the American Tennis Association, the oldest African-American oriented sport association in the country. It was founded in a time when the United States Tennis Association was not open to African-American participation. The ATA provided the backdrop for the careers of many black players, especially in the first half of the 20th century. Through interviews, photographs and archival video footage, Breaking the Barriers acknowledges the contribution of the ATA toward fostering the careers of black players and it features discussion of many prominent black ATA tennis players. Examining the dynamics of segregation in the sport, Breaking the Barriers shows how the ATA has contributed and continues to contribute to the integration of tennis.

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Exhibition Development: Gary Cogar, Co-curators: Dale Caldwell & Arthur Carrington, Exhibition Design: Robin Parkinson, Photography: Russ Adams, Edward Baker, Max Peter Haas, Ed Fernberger, Jim Thornton, Video Production: Harold Hecht & Joel Drucker, Research, Collections, & Installation: Nicole Markham, Joanie Agler, Troy Gowen, Nichole Smith, Carol Manley, Mark Young
Exhibition Advisory Group: D. A. Abrams, Katrina Adams, Jefferson T. Barnes, Martin Blackman, Dale Caldwell, Arthur Carrington, Gary Cogar, Bill Davis, Bob Davis, Marvin Dent, The Honorable David Dinkins, Marcus Freeman, Virginia Glass, Arvelia Myers, Iris Rivera, Bob Ryland, Willis Thomas, Jr.

Breaking the Barriers: Honoring the ATA and Black Tennis Pioneers was created for the 2007 US Open by the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, RI.

ArthurAshe.org thanks the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, R.I. for its generosity in allowing us to post this important video and for their contribution to the history of the American Tennis Association.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is grateful for the support and assistance of: Sharon Caldwell, Nora graves, Frederick Johnson, Lange Johnson, Robert W. Johnson III, Ann Koger, Bonnie Logan, Desmond Margetson, Vernon Morgan, Bravelle M. Nesbitt, Jr., Lendward Simpson, Robert Sparks, John Waide

Arts and Artifacts Division & Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library-Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations, City College of New York Archives, Lincoln University Archives, USTA and the USTA Archives, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Xavier University Archives