Ashe Speaks at Law School, Urges Blacks to 'Take Risks'

Calling on his audience to "take risks" and consider low-paying jobs, former tennis professional Arthur Ashe Jr. said yesterday that Black law students should work for organizations dedicated to improving the conditions of Blacks in the United States rather than going to work for law firms.

Disservice

The 37-year-old Wimbledon champion and Aetna insurance company representative told an audience of 100 at the Law School that "We're doing ourselves a disservice by not becoming more involved in insurance."

During the hour-long talk and subsequent question-and-answer session. which were sponsored by the Harvard Black Law Student Association, the Harvard Business School Afro-American Union, and Aetna Life and Casualty, Ashe urged Blacks to work with insurance companies that are helping to desegregate Black communities.

Ashe also said that Black law students should consider going into sports law, representing particularly Black athletes in their negotiations with pro sports teams. He listed the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Football League as other organizations where there is need and opportunity for Black sports lawyers.

In response to a remark from a member of the audience that Blacks cannot gain access to venture capital as easily as whites can, Ashe said, "The money's out there, but you have to know where to go," adding that Blacks in insurance companies could help other Blacks to find the capital they need.

The 1976 World Championship Tennis winner and 1968 US Open winner said Blacks' loan applications to the Small Business Administration frequently request just enough money to sustain their businesses, validating the belief that Blacks have a tendency to ask for only enough money to survive. "Ask for just a little bit more than you need," Ashe said.