Black History Month with Venecca Green & Michelle Curry

Talking Tennis Southern Style

We celebrate Black History Month with leading voices in Black Tennis. Through the USTA Fellowship in Tennis Coaching and Leadership Powered by Athleta program, Venecca Green discovered a coaching opportunity at the HBCU and Division II Lane College. Even though she admitted she is at “retirement age”, she proudly begins her coaching career at the helm of the Dragons women’s & men’s tennis programs in Jackson, Tenn. We honor the legacy and impact of the iconic Althea Gibson, winner of the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open. Michelle Curry, estate executor & COO of Althea Gibson CTA in Orange, N.J., talks about the Silver, S.C.-born legend and her impact on the sport. Gibson was also an outstanding musician, golfer and trailblazer for all athletes who came after her. To memorialize her impact on Southern tennis, the Southern Tennis Foundation has established the Althea Gibson Scholarship. Our highlights include junior Hannah Lawrence, of Slidell, La., and USTA Southern award winners Stacie Kennington, of Statesville, N.C., (Southern Professional) and Andy Collier, of The Bolivar Bullet in Cleveland, Miss. (Media Excellence).