; Whereas Arthur Ashe's accomplishments on the tennis court gave him a platform to pursue social justice during a turbulent time in the civil rights era; Whereas Arthur Ashe's activism included efforts to end apartheid in South Africa; Whereas Arthur Ashe pushed for, and eventually earned, a visa to play in the National Championships in South Africa in 1973; Whereas Arthur Ashe was arrested twice, first for protesting outside the Embassy of South Africa in Washington, D.C., and later for protesting the repatriation of Haitian refugees by the United States Government; Whereas Arthur Ashe researched the history of African-American athletics and published a groundbreaking book, Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete , celebrating the accomplishments of heroes known and unknown; Whereas after suffering a heart attack in 1979 and contracting HIV/AIDS as a result of a blood transfusion, Arthur Ashe resolved to educate the people of the United States and the world about the disease and advocated for more resources to end an epidemic that disproportionately affected marginalized communities, including communities of color; Whereas Arthur Ashe succumbed to complications from HIV/AIDS and died on February 6, 1993, and became the first African American to lie in state at the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond; and Whereas President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded Arthur Ashe the Presidential Medal of Freedom on June 20, 1993, and the Richmond City Council voted unanimously to erect a statue on historic Monument Avenue to honor his achievements: Now, therefore, be it