USTA Missouri Valley celebrates Black History Month

Check out these stories from across USTA Missouri Valley celebrating Black History Month, which takes place annually in February in the United States.

Self-taught recreational player John Harris of Lincoln, Neb. loves competing in tennis and particularly enjoys donning his homemade Arthur Ashe T-shirt while playing. Harris founded Encouragement Unlimited, a nonprofit serving the local community, and hopes to one day start an urban tennis academy for kids to gain exposure to the sport. You can read more about Harris by clicking here.

A potentially deadly spinal infection that worked its way into his blood and ruptured Achilles tendon didn't keep Jerry Horsford down for long. The USTA St. Louis tennis player, coach and board member keeps bouncing back to positively influence his community through the sport of tennis. Learn more about Horsford by clicking here.

Tera Jordan, an assistant provost at Iowa State University, began sharpening her tennis skills in 2020 and has been playing ever since both outdoors and at the Genesis Health Club in Des Moines. Click here to read how tennis challenges Jordan physically and mentally as well as the significance of Black History Month to her.

Michael King—who received the 2024 USTA Heart of America Outstanding Diversity Achievement Award—coaches multiple sports at East High School, including tennis. Many of his student-athletes are refugees or immigrants new to tennis, and King fosters cross-cultural inclusivity on his teams by modeling joy. Read more about King and his remarkable players by clicking here.

Husband-and-wife team Darren and Jackie McGilbray—who run a Popeyes franchise and clothing boutique in Wichita, Kan.—use their love for food and fashion to give back to the USTA Kansas tennis community. Darren and Jackie also serve at their church and love playing tennis together, and you can check out their story by clicking here.

Few have had as profound an impact on USTA Oklahoma as Jeremiah Ollison, a legendary tennis player, coach and longtime volunteer. Ollison participated in and coached a number of sports throughout his illustrious career, including tennis. Learn more of Ollison's backstory by clicking here.