RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Nearly 20 years after the debate on where to honor tennis great and humanitarian Arthur Ashe captivated Richmond, the statue that ended up on Monument Avenue is still creating a bit of controversy.
“In 1996, Ashe’s hometown of Richmond erected a statue in his likeness on Monument Avenue despite controversy that the tennis great didn’t belong amid the existing congregation of Confederate icons. But the bronze memorial, cast by Paul di Pasquale, is bizarre for more than just its location. In an attempt to capture Ashe’s dedication to social activism, he is shown holding books and a tennis racket high above the outstretched arms of a gaggle of children, frozen forever in a state of seemingly mocking them for their lack of height,” the website noted.
What do you think about the Ashe statue? Click here to email us your comments or leave them on the CBS 6 Facebook page. We may use your comments on the news.
We also found these older stories about the Ashe statue in the CBS 6 video vault.
This news clip is from December 1994
This news clip is from July 1995
