{"value"=>"<p>Series, arranged chronologically beginning in 1976, encompasses notes and drafts for Ashe's numerous speeches, as well as correspondence and programs related to these events. Ashe spoke at a number of commencement ceremonies, often as the recipient of an honorary degree. He also delivered remarks at sports dinners, conferences, business forums, and other occasions, such as Martin Luther King Day or Black History Month. Most of his speeches are written out in manuscript form or typed, although some appear in note form, jotted down on the event program.</p> <p>Significant topics on which Ashe spoke include the state of intercollegiate athletics, apartheid, healthcare, the challenges of growing up in segregated Richmond and competing in the largely white tennis world, and AIDS. A number of speeches in the series were delivered during Ashe's final year, after he revealed that he had AIDS and became active in increasing public awareness of the disease and fundraising for research. Also included in the series is the statement Ashe read at the April 8, 1992 press conference announcing he had AIDS, a statement by Mayor David Dinkins, lists of media present on that occasion, requests for interviews, and the telephone message received by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe the day before asking her to return home to help Ashe address the rumors of his illness which were about to become public.</p>"}