‘White Lives Matter’ painted on Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe’s statue in Virginia
A memorial paying tribute to Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Virginia, was briefly covered in white spray paint bearing the words “White Lives Matter” and “WLM” on Wednesday morning, media outlets report.
By 1:30 p.m., volunteers with scrub brushes and an afternoon drizzle had washed it away.
Images shared on social media and recorded by local news outlets showed a man clad in an American flag bandanna and red hat spray painting the message. He reportedly told bystanders his name was “everyone,” according to one Twitter user.
“Do not all lives matter?” the man told a Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter who asked on video why he was spray painting on the statue. “Why is it OK to spray paint on this statue ‘Black Lives Matter’ and not ‘White Lives Matter.’ What’s the difference? I’m not racist, I just don’t agree with desecrating our property.”
The Richmond Police Department was “alerted to the vandalism” around 10:15 a.m., according to The Associated Press.
“Police said they have information on possible suspects and are asking the community to call their Crime Stoppers line if they have information on who is responsible for the vandalism,” The AP reported.
The statue was subsequently covered in red spray paint with “Black Lives Matter” or “BLM,” pictures show.
Arthur Ashe’s memorial on Monument Avenue is the only one not related to the Confederacy, the Times-Dispatch reported. Other statues that line the street in the former capitol of the Confederacy include the likes of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis — several of which have since been covered in spray paint or removed, according to the newspaper.
Ashe was a legendary tennis champion and the first Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open before retiring in 1980, according to the International Tennis Hall of Fame..
He was also a civil rights activist and outspoken about Apartheid in South Africa.
In 1983, Ashe contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from a blood transfusion during bypass surgery, but his illness was not discovered until September 1988, as he underwent another medical procedure. Ashe worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the disease until his death in 1993.
Ashe’s bronze memorial was erected in 1996, Tennis.com reported.
“It features Ashe, a Richmond native, surrounded by children and holding a set of books in one hand and a racket in the other,” according to the website.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 12:48 PM with the headline "‘White Lives Matter’ painted on Black tennis legend Arthur Ashe’s statue in Virginia."
