Ora Washington

On November 30, 1916, the American Tennis Association (ATA) was founded in Washington, D.C. The intent of the ATA was to provide opportunities for African Americans to compete on a national level. The ATA was founded out of necessity because African Americans were excluded from participation in the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA), which was not integrated until the 1950s when Althea Gibson became the first African American to play in the USLTA. From August 19 to 26, 1922, one of the first ATA National Championship tournaments was held at the Germantown YWCA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The ATA has been influential in establishing the early careers of several outstanding African American tennis stars. Althea Gibson, who broke the color barrier in the United States and abroad, was first successful within the ATA. Arthur Ashe also got his start winning ATA junior championship tournaments. The ATA is the oldest African American sports organization in the United States and continues to hold true to its mission, "To promote the sport of tennis among men and women of all races through sportsmanship, unity and goodwill."