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by Judy Allen Dodson illustrated by David Wilkerson HE BROTHERS w Arthur and Johnnie Changed Tennis Forever dson lkerson How Arthur and Johnnie Changed Tennis Forever UNCORRECTED PROOF – NOT FOR SALEUNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEthe Ashe Brothers by Judy Allen Dodson illustrated by David Wilkerson How Arthur and Johnnie Changed Tennis Forever UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEBAM! The ball sailed across the net. Fans jumped to their feet and gave a standing ovation. Arthur Ashe had done it! On September 8, 1968, he made history, becoming the first Black man to win a Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEBut Arthur’s journey to the top of the tennis world wasn’t an easy one . . . and his younger brother Johnnie was there every step of the way. UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALETwenty-five years earlier, when Arthur was born, the United States was segregated. Jim Crow laws kept Black and white people separate. Arthur and Johnnie grew up surrounded by Negro ONLY and white ONLY signs—on water fountains, restrooms, and tennis courts. UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEAnd in 1950, when Arthur was six and Johnnie only one, their mother, Mattie, died. In his sadness, Arthur turned quiet and shy. But when he stood on the court with a racket and a tennis ball in his hand, he felt at home. UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEBut tennis was mostly whites ONLY. Except in Brook Field Park, the largest segregated playground in all of Richmond, Virginia, where Arthur and Johnnie just happened to live. UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALEAs the Brook Field Park police officer, their father, Arthur Ashe Sr., protected the park and the kids in it, including his sons. For their safety—on the court and off—he stressed: No loud outbursts. No cheating. No shows of anger. Do the right things for the right reasons. UNCORRECTED PROOF - NOT FOR RESALENext >