Les Payne: Consummate Journalist, Fearless Ally, Unswerving Friend – Part III
Part III While tennis great Arthur Ashe broke racial barriers in South Africa in 1973 by becoming the first black to compete in a pro [...]
Les Payne: Consummate Journalist, Fearless Ally, Unswerving Friend – Part II
Part II Les Payne proved to be a quick study as Newsday’s beat reporter, covering the town of Babylon, N.Y. He also drew high praise [...]
Les Payne: Consummate Journalist, Fearless Ally, Unswerving Friend – Part I
Part I In the summer of 1970, I landed my “dream” job just by being in the right place at the right time, with a [...]
Serena Williams shaken, then stirred in a rousing U.S. Open second round win
After another early round shaky start, followed by a drama-filled recovery, Serena Williams moved another rung higher on tennis’ ladder of greatness at the U.S. [...]
Williams Sisters Fulfill Dreams of Their Father
Richard Williams predicted in the mid 1990s that his younger daughters - Venus and Serena - would one day become superstars in the predominantly white [...]
Katrina Adams set to become 1st former pro and African American to head USTA
Katrina Adams, who fell short of her dream of becoming tennis’ top woman player, nevertheless established herself as a major player in the tennis world [...]
The once dominant serve-and-volley game is gone
John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova are set to participate Monday in a non-tennis related function during opening night ceremonies at the U.S. Open in New [...]
Hank Aaron stays in the box on issues of race
One of the more memorable moments of my career occurred more than 40 years ago when I, then a Newsday sports writer, interviewed Henry Aaron [...]
Resurrection of the N-word, Part II
For those determined to abolish the word, ‘nigger,’ from the National Football League (NFL) and, indeed, the vocabularies of humankind, consider the satisfaction you’ve brought [...]