pulpit where Stokely Carmichael, the man who coined the term “black power” two years earlier, had recently given an impas - sioned oration. Ashe’s speech was modest by comparison. He emphasized personal responsibility—“poverty is half laziness,” he asserted—and echoed the words of King. Ac- cording to Ashe, African-Americans needed militants like Carmichael to lead, but they also needed moderates like himself to back them up. The mostly black congregation gave him a standing ovation. Ashe now knew that his words mattered, and his self-assurance grew accordingly. Six months later, he would become the first black man to win the U.S. Open. As he stood on the trophy stand at Forest Hills with his arm around his father, Ashe’s win was hailed as a victory for race relations in America. But it hadn’t come without controver - sy. In the quarterfinals, Ashe had faced his friend, Cliff Drysdale of South Africa. There was talk that Ashe, a child of segre - gation, should withdraw to protest apart - heid; earlier that year, he had told a reporter that he would consider such a boycott. But Ashe, who knew that Drysdale was against segregation, decided to play. When he won, Ashe was saluted by New York sportswriter Arthur Daley. “He proved his own superiority,” Daley wrote. “If he had withdrawn in protest, he would have proved nothing.” To Daley, “direct con - frontation” was the best way for this black athlete to deal with the situation in South Africa. Over the next five years, Ashe would put that theory to the test. “ Yes, master. ” When Ashe heard a maid at a Johannes - burg mansion address him with those words, he stopped in his tracks: “For the love of God,” he thought. It was November 1973, and Ashe was fulfilling a long-held but still controversial
The “Thrilla in Manila,” 1975. ap photo
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