 |
Hope was in the air as the Multicultural Participation Committee's annual forum and awards session opened in November at Mills College. The USTA had elevated the area of Multicultural Participation to Level I priority, an all-star status that ranks it at the top with Community Tennis Development, the US Open and USA Tennis High Performance. "And in a tight budget year, when everything else is being cut, that means a lot," said guest speaker, D.A. Abrams, Director of national's MP outreach and former Executive Director of the USTA Missouri Valley section. MP's budget jumped 24 per cent to nearly $700,000 for 2003. And that in turn means more minority community encouragement across the land in high performance grants and Pathway grants to grow the game and its players, plus diversity training. "And here in this kind of setting," Abrams said, nodding to an audience of 50 in the handsome meeting room on the woodsy campus in Oakland, "is where we hear the concerns that I can take back to national and act on." After Abrams' review of the MP structure and grant system, and his acknowledgement of the progressive role of Northern California, a list of compelling speakers followed. The forum, called "Diversity in the New Millennium, Deepening the Dialogue," was an intriguing lesson that mulled diversity from multiple, illuminating angles.
The San Francisco Chronicle's David Steele told of enormous blind spots in the sports media. Ireri Valenzuela, who grew up in Mexico City and works on health issues, explained the concept of Social Capital. Miriam Abrams, who works with organizations to start their diversity initiatives, said "diversity is about numbersÑbut multiculturalism is never done," implying that understanding is not by a long shot a simple by-product of diversity. At the following buffet luncheon, more joined the group for the award presentations which were especially moving. Many people were informally acknowledged for being part of the collective push for greater inclusion and equality in Northern California tennis. Specially honored with awards were: Gary Lee, MPC Icon; Lincoln Chu, MPC Trailblazer: Mark Manning, MPC Leadership; Jose Hernandez, MPC Junior Excellence; and Barbara Lewis of the Richmond Youth Tennis Program, MPC Service. |
|
Captions: |
 |
The community of West Oakland is a place where, in the words of the late African-American author Langston Hughes, dreams are all too often deferred. Young men like Jose Hernandez often find their paths paved with the minefields of poverty, drugs and academic apathy. It's an environment in which playing tennis is as unlikely a scenario as moving into one of the mansions that dot the hills of nearby Piedmont. Other people play tennis and live in Piedmont. Those from West Oakland merely try to survive past the age of 19. The defining moment that brought Hernandez from hanging out on West Oakland's streets to receiving the Arthur Ashe-inspired Multicultural Participation Junior Achievement Award occurred when he was 12. "I came home from school one day and found an old tennis racquet and a couple of dead balls in front of my house," he recalls. "There were (public) tennis courts a couple of blocks away, so I figured I'd go over there and try to hit against the wall." The guardian angel who had secretly deposited the balls and racquet at his doorstep was Mark Manning, director of Oakland's Elmhurst Youth Tennis Program. Manning's infectious enthusiasm for the game combined with Hernandez's boyish curiosity was perfect fodder for a unique arrangement. Manning agreed to instruct Hernandez free of charge three days a week after school if Hernandez could show up on time for practice. Hernandez exceeded Manning's modest expectations, coming out to practice five days a week and spending countless weekend hours honing his strokes and traveling with Manning to local and regional tournaments. Soon he was even winning some. He went on to become a standout player for the Castlemont High School boys tennis team culminating his four year career by winning the CIF Central Coast Championships with partner James Davis and reaching the quarters of the singles competition. On the heels of all this he learned he was the MPC honoree for 2002. Hernandez's award has significance far beyond the $2,000 per year college scholarship that eases the tuition cost at UC Santa Cruz. He is the first in his family of eight children to go to college and the first Latino athlete to receive the MPC's highest junior honor. He plans to major in business management and economics and wants to become an attorney or banker who advocates on behalf of the Latino community. "Tennis has taught me that no matter where you come from, as long as you work hard you can be successful," says Hernandez. Now he nurtures dreams with newfound confidence. And is fast becoming one of the All-American role models of his community. Other recipients felt that the scholarships helped to significantly pave the way to their futures.
Stewart wasn't ready yet for the goals of the team and eventually left. "But I learned an awful lot about myself in the process," he recalls. Stewart later completed his studies at Chabot College in Hayward. He credits his participation in tennis for getting him through many a challenge and for helping him learn how to handle adverse situations. "The legacy of Arthur Ashe's life was that he encouraged young people to keep their heads up and stay positive," says Stewart, who actually met Ashe when he was 12. "Being the first scholarship recipient was an incredible honor," he adds. "That's something that will forever be with me and will serve as a source of pride and inspiration for the rest of my life." 1999 Achievement Award recipient Johnson Hua has taken to Ashe's legacy not only in his propensity for tennis but also in his unwavering commitment to work on behalf of those in lesser circumstances. He's packed a tremendous amount of life experience into his four year stint at the University of California at Berkeley. That includes a summer teaching impoverished African-American children in the Mississippi Delta, an internship in Washington, D.C. for the Progressive Policy Institute chaired by former Vice Presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman, and a year of study and travel throughout Western Europe. He's now in the process of applying to law school and hopes to pursue a career in civil rights law and non-profit advocacy work. "This scholarship has enabled me to take advantage of incredible opportunities and meet and share the perspectives of people from all walks of life," says Hua. "I would advise future winners to be fearless in going for their dreams and learns much as they can about the world around them." Janice Salomon had her sights set on becoming a geneticist when she entered UC Davis in 2000 as that year's scholarship winner. Although her heart is no longer in genetics (she switched her major to managerial economics with an emphasis in science), she still maintains her love affair with tennis. She played No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles on her school's CCAA conference championship team making countless friends along the way. "It's nice to be able to focus on something while in school other than just being a student," says Salomon. "There's a lot of comfort in being around people who share my interests and are going through the same things IÕm going through." Salomon's favorite part of the tennis team experience is traveling, but she's unsure of her road once she graduates in 2003. "No matter where I go," says Salomon, "the Arthur Ashe scholarship has helped me to attain the education I need to survive in this world."
"Despite the fact that this is a predominantly black school, it's very multicultural," says Garner. "It's amazing to learn about how people from other regions of the country and the world interact and relate to one another." His two biggest adjustments have been getting used to the hot, humid Atlanta weather and having to compete for a permanent spot on the varsity men's tennis team. Determined to take every cue from his more experienced teammates, he plans to work his way diligently up the ladder and perhaps lead his team to a prestigious title. "I know I'll never become a professional tennis player," says Garner, "but this sport and being the recipient of this scholarship has enriched my life and opened doors that would not otherwise have been available to me." 1995 and 1996 recipients Tenille Tucker and Rex Calaunan could not be located for this story. There were no scholarships awarded in 1997 and 1998. |
Joe Navejas Jr., a fine little athlete who thought sports had passed him by because of his size, took up tennis at 13 and is now attending Fresno State, aided by a $6,000 tennis scholarship (over four years) from the national USTA. Navejas started group lessons in Lance Turner's Future Stars program in Tracy as a 13-year old. He went on to star on his high school tennis team, helping bring the school its first conference championship. He returned to Future Stars at 16 as a teacher himself, his first job. "Tennis has taught me to be a risk taker," says the first-year engineering student. |
From moving personal accounts to intellectual probings, speakers addressed stereotyping, globalizing, bonding and bridging. Dr. Sylvester Almiron spoke from his experiences as an Asian-American ("all of us are foreigners"), and his daughter Johanna Faith, Oberlin graduate, added her poetical stories.
Haleca Stewart (right, Haleca Stewart as a youngster.) was the inaugural Achievement Award recipient back in 1994. The now-26-year-old entrepreneur, musician and tennis teaching pro remembers the struggles he experienced adjusting to life at Silicon Valley-based Foothill College. Although the campus was just a few miles from his hometown of Oakland, it was in some respects, a completely foreign experience.
2001 recipient Eric Garner (left) was the first of the group to attend a historically black college. The second year Morehouse (Atlanta, Georgia) student has learned a lot about independence and discipline both inside and outside of the classroom. A highlight of his freshman year was meeting people from every corner of the world.