Game, Set, Serve: A Social Justice and CivilRights Program for Scholar Athletes
Presented by the Barbara McDowell Social Justice Center in collaboration with the New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL)
In the Fall of 2025, the Barbara McDowell Social Justice Center launched “Game, Set, Serve: A Social Justice and Civil Rights Program” for middle and high school youth in collaboration with the New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) Scholar Athlete Program (see https://www.nyjtl.org/scholar-athlete-program/).
The Program consisted of three workshops that were presented on three Saturdays: October 18th, November 15th and December 13th. The topics for these workshops were:
Power Hitters – This first workshop gave an overview on tennis and civil rights and educated the scholar athletes on key civil rights icons in the tennis world: Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson, Martina Navratilova, and the Williams sisters.
The Serve- Social Justice Huddles – This second workshop introduced the concept of social justice and how the law, specifically the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX, could be used to promote social justice. There was also a discussion of how the law can reinforce social inequity.
In the Zone/ Advocacy & Call to Action - In the third and final workshop, participants were introduced to current power hitters who use their platform for advocacy: Naomi Osaka, Coco Grauf, and Taylor Townsend. Participants also learned about different forms of advocacy and how to take action regarding the issue of having World Kindness Day recognized by New York City. At the end of the workshop, players present different advocacy campaigns and saw how they could promote social justice in tennis and beyond.
The workshops were facilitated by Monique Letamandi, an educational instructor who is also a community organizer. Upon completion of the course, participants received a “Social Justice Champion” certificate.
The program will serve as a pilot with the goal of replicating the initiative in collaboration with the USTA at other Junior Tennis & Learning programs across the United States.