2026 USTA Texas Small CTA of the Year Award
What does receiving this award mean to you?
“Receiving this award is a huge honor of why DFW Black Tennis exists. It's a recognition of the community we've built, the connections we've fostered, and the space we've created for representation in the sport. It shows that our efforts to make tennis welcoming and accessible are making an impact, and it motivates us to keep growing, reaching more people, and celebrating the game together.”
– Jasmine Henderson, Co-Founder
About the winner:
For DFW Black Tennis, the mission is as bold as it is simple: bring tennis to the culture and culture to tennis. What began as a grassroots idea to build a welcoming space for connection has rapidly evolved into a vibrant movement that is redefining what it means to belong on the court.
Standing almost three years strong, DFW Black Tennis has transitioned from a small social group into an essential pillar of the North Texas tennis landscape. This volunteer-powered organization serves as a vital bridge, connecting black and brown players across the DFW metroplex through a shared love for the game. By creating a space where representation is the priority, it has impacted hundreds of players and cultivated an online community of thousands who look to the organization for camaraderie, skill development, and a sense of home.
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The organization’s impact is defined by its innovative approach to programming, which blends high-energy sport with cultural celebration and health advocacy. Its calendar is filled with monthly social meetups, Cardio Tennis sessions, and milestone events like the "Honoring Althea" celebration, which marked the 75th anniversary of Althea Gibson breaking the color barrier at the U.S. Open. Through strategic partnerships with groups like Black Girls in Art Spaces, Wilson, and the American Heart Association, it provides everything from racquet maintenance workshops to heart-health clinics, ensuring that players of all levels have the resources they need to thrive.
By championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in every initiative, DFW Black Tennis fulfills the USTA mission to grow tennis to inspire healthier people and communities. It actively removes barriers to play by hosting low-cost events and coordinating equipment donations for lower-income communities, ensuring the "sport for a lifetime" is accessible to all. Guided by the words of Arthur Ashe—"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."—it continues to prove that tennis is a powerful tool for uniting and uplifting a community.
In every new player welcomed to the net and every friendship forged on the court, DFW Black Tennis is demonstrating that the future of the game is inclusive, energetic and undeniably bright.
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