National

In their own words: Alexander Lee on the importance of Black History Month

Edited by Peter Francesconi | February 20, 2024

As we celebrate Black History Month throughout February, we look toward leaders in tennis who are working to spread this sport far and wide, reaching deep into communities to impact youth on many levels. This month, you'll meet volunteer leaders who are telling their first-person stories and who recognize the influences family, friends, teachers and coaches have had on the direction their lives and careers have taken—and how that direction is positively impacting the newest generations. Today, meet Alex Lee.

 

For me, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech echoes in my mind all year round—not only in the month of February—as it should for not just all African-Americans, but for everyone in this country.

 

We have reminders all the time in the media when a young Black man or woman is gunned down without cause, or when an African-American is freed from prison after being wrongfully accused and convicted decades earlier. We ask, "how could this happen? Why does this keep happening?"

 

Throughout my life and my career, I—like many other Black Americans—have run up against racial instances and tensions that have affected me in many ways. We need Black History Month to remind all of us—young and old, Black and white—of the heritage and ongoing struggle of African-Americans in the United States.

Some people might feel Black History Month tends to be pushed on everyone, but over the decades and centuries, we’ve seen so much harm done in this society that Black history needs to be told. Many people simply don’t see things happening right in front of them, because they just don’t think about these types of things. 

 

But for Black Americans, it’s ever-present. Black History Month helps all of us become conscious of this history, this struggle and that we can always do better.

 

The USTA has done a great job recognizing Black history and promoting diversity in all areas of the sport and the organization. But with 17 sections covering the entire country, there will always be areas where diversity is a struggle or may have setbacks—and we need to remain vigilant, at every level of this organization.

Alex Lee stands on a tennis court. Photo courtesy of Alex Lee.

In 2023, I became the first Black president of the USTA Missouri Valley Section, after 20 years on the section’s board of directors. And this past December, I became the fourth Black man inducted into the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame, and I’m pleased to note the other three—Charles “Goose” Doughty Jr., James “Buddy” Fields and Fred Johnson—have all been mentors for me on this journey. (Sadly, all three passed away before I received my HOF honor.)

 

But as far as mentors, Coach Doughty probably holds the biggest place in my heart. He taught free tennis lessons in the Black community for 50 years before he passed away in 2013, and I learned a lot from him, including how to bring people together in the neighborhood. He taught me to give back to my community by promoting tennis among youth in the community, with the hope it would keep some out of trouble. So through the McAdams NJTL of Wichita Foundation here in Wichita, Kan., I try to build a community of tennis, with both youth and adults.

 

I grew up in Arkansas and played college tennis at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an HBCU. After college I started working for the Boeing Company/Spirit AeroSystems here in Wichita, but continued to play tennis. I started McAdams NJTL to introduce tennis to disadvantaged youth, and in 2001 I started volunteering in the USTA Kansas District, before moving to the USTA Missouri Valley Section Executive Committee Board in 2005. After retiring from the aircraft industry, I tried marketing a tennis score keeper I had developed and patented. After that venture didn’t pan out, I started coaching at Friends University (an NAIA school), where I’m currently the head men’s and women’s tennis coach.

 

Nationally, I currently serve on the USTA Collegiate Committee. Over the years, I’ve served on several committees at the section and national levels, including NJTL, Diversity and CTA, and I’m also a life member of the American Tennis Association. (One of the most thrilling tennis moments for me was winning the ATA 60 Singles National Championship.) My experiences on all of these committees have helped me in many ways, including shaping my thoughts on how to promote the growth of tennis. Tennis is the greatest sport on Earth, and I consider the US Open the greatest show on Earth. So, all my thoughts are to promote tennis in every way I can. 

 

It has been a dream of mine to be a trailblazer in the tennis community and one who makes a difference, and I have the chance now to help influence the growth of the sport in my section, and nationally. Through tennis, and much more, I want to deliver change that helps to bring hope to this sport and especially, to this country, and that helps to push us toward becoming a fair nation for all its citizens.

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