By Karen Ronney
Your voice and vote will make a difference to help award Billie Jean King the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian awards in the United States. Given by the U.S. Congress, the Congressional Gold Medal recognizes national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions that have a lasting effect in the recipient’s field long after the achievement itself.
In an exciting and important next step, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Shelley Moore Capito, and Kyrsten Sinema have introduced S.2861, bipartisan companion legislation, in the Senate to award Billie Jean King the Congressional Gold Medal.
To date, an individual woman athlete has never received the award, and there isn’t anyone more deserving at this moment in time than tennis legend, gender equity and civil rights icon, and Women’s Sports Foundation Founder, Billie Jean King. To date, 11 individual male athletes, as well as the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, have been awarded this distinction; King would be the first individual female athlete ever to receive it.
The effort of advocating for King to receive the Congressional Gold Medal is is alignment with the US Open’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of equal prize money this year.
King also founded the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974, a year after equal prize money was first awarded to female and male singles players at the US Open. The WSF is a non-profit organization that works tirelessly in the pursuit of equality, allowing all girls and women to reach their full potential in sport and life.
To cast your vote for Billie Jean King, send an email through this portal CLICK HERE.
“This is an incredible opportunity to honor one of tennis’ greatest legends,” said Linda Milan, the Executive Director of the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation. “She has done so much for the sport to advocate for equal opportunity for women and many other underserved groups, cultures and organizations. Let’s stand together and cast our vote for this well-deserved recognition.”
The Southern California Tennis Association Foundation’s mission is to make tennis an equal-opportunity sport that is accessible to players, programs and organizations throughout Southern California. We offer grants and scholarships as well as support players of all ages. We provide equipment to learn the game, and support groups that offer lessons, clinics and training.
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About the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation:
We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and is the charitable arm of USTA Southern California. The Foundation’s mission is to “Change lives and build communities through tennis.” Since 2020, the SCTA Foundation has had a community impact of giving over $1million in tennis grants and tennis scholarships to deserving youth, adults, tennis organizations, tennis facilities and tennis programs to make tennis an equal opportunity sport, accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, or economic background. Visit us on Social Media on Instagram and Facebook. To learn more about the SCTA Foundation go to: www.sctafoundation.org. To donate go to: sctafoundation.org/donate/ or CLICK HERE