Citizen Ashe

reveals Renaissance Man’s Choice

to Live a Both/And Life

“Arthur understood that SPORTS was a DRAMATIC STAGE.”— Brother of Arthur ASHE

Citizen Ashe SisterScene Review

March 17, 2022 (Durham, NC) The SisterScene highly recommends “Citizen Ashe,” an urgent and timely documentary out now on multiple platforms. The Durham-born multiracial community organization, the SisterScene CreativeJustice Community,

rates "Citizen Ashe," 5 Sister Crowns which is our Top Rating--for three big reasons:

1) Partly because of the way that Ashe's wife and daughter were featured as key players in his life story. One might imagine a spouse and only child would always be key to a parent's life story, but bio docs about men traditionally do not show it! And docs about sports figures may be limited to the sports arena. Of course Ashe was a contemporary civil rights advocate, but this documentary shows the extraordinary role his wife and daughter played in his life in a powerful and creative way. Although I will quote the documentary in this article, I want the reader to watch to see the creative and empowering nature of his relationship with his wife for themselves. These parts of the documentary, in the second half, make this biopic compelling for viewers who may note be tennis fanatics, and for viewers from a wide range of populations (not just adults, or white people, or male).

2)For not burying the texture and inconvenient truths of a fully dimensional life--with attention to family history, professional, spiritual, political and medical areas--as well as connecting these things to contemporary examples that could have stemmed from his personal contributions to our American, Black and feminist empowerment experiences. As a culturally-critical white female artist, I find a great deal of film and historical studies to be near-sighted, but this film is multi-dimensional in the way that the real world beautifully is.

3) As viewers who are living in an exquisitely volatile time in history, with the rise of authoritarianism, extremist brutality against women, the LGBTQ+ community and People of Color, we are encouraged by seeing and hearing so many creative and inspiring values-centered messages. Here are a few memorable QUOTES from the doc, starting with a favorite right here. Wouldn’t the world be different today if a few million white Americans idolized Arthur Ashe as their authority figure?

"It's not unusual for people to think that TIME IS SHORT, to feel like they can DO ALMOST ANYTHING. And so I have taken FULL ADVANTAGE of that. I have FELT CREATIVITY LIKE YOU JUST WOULDN'T BELIEVE." –––Arthur Ashe

"Arthur knew there was work STILL to be done. Of course there was AIDS (work), but he also had such a profound role in so many areas of life--Education, Race, Empowering People.” –––––Arthur Ashe’s wife, Jeanne Moutassamy-Ashe_____

"His entire life was A STUDY OF COMMITMENT AND COMPASSION."––––Bryant Gumble_____

"ARTHUR understood THAT SPORTS WAS A DRAMATIC STAGE."–––Johnnie Ashe_____

He became a guide for Black athletes." Jeanne Moutassamy-Ashe_____

"'IF YOU LISTEN TO BLACK MUSIC, IF YOU LIKE BLACK CULTURE, if YOU HAVE BLACK FRIENDS, 

then THIS IS YOUR FIGHT TOO,' demands Coco Gauf in a Black Lives Matter speech.

GAUF AND Naomi OSAKA—TWO YOUNG PLAYERS that have FOUND THEIR VOICE!'"-----ESPN

Ashe's wife, "I THINK ARTHUR WOULD have been REALLY PROUD OF WHAT ATHLETE'S ARE DOING TODAY."_____

Serena & Venus WILLIAMS on pay equity: "WE'RE FIGHTING FOR THE BIGGER PICTURE. 

WE MIGHT NOT GET IT TODAY, BUT WE WANT THE FUTURE TO BE BETTER FOR MAYBE MY daughter or Her DAUGHTER.'_____

"ARTHUR ASHE CHOSE TO SPEAK. WHAT DID YOU DO?"––Coach Lenny Simpson

"HIS TREASURES WERE NOT HIS TROPHIES… HIS BOOKS. 

AND EVERY TIME I PICK UP ONE OF THOSE BOOKS OR READ ONE THAT HE WROTE, I hear SOMETHING DIFFERENT--(his wife shares from their home library), “Wow, He inscribed this one:”

We want to BOTH DISTURB THE COMFORTABLE 

and Comfort the Disturbed.”––––– Jeanne Moutassamy-Ashe

The SisterScene's sampling of inspiring excerpts end here. Will you make a plan to watch the doc and then meet up with us for a discussion? YOU ARE INVITED: Will you plan to attend a SisterScene Community Conversation with Brianna Pinto, NWSL/NC Courage midfielder and other SisterScene Creative Justice Leaders? Time, Date, Venue To Be Announced. Note the doc is available on multiple platforms (including for FREE on youtube).

"Citizen Ashe" project website:

CitizenAshe: Streaming Live on Youtube

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