How We Started

In December of 2021, Kimberly and I were discussing our shared dream of wanting to own and design hotels over lunch. Before taking a sip of my drink, she referenced an Instagram video I posted of me playing tennis on vacation. “I didn’t know you play PLAY?! We should start a Black girl's tennis club!” Kimberly said. I was so excited thinking about how it felt being the only Black girl on the tennis court most of my life. Also, I’m not gonna lie, thinking about how fire the merch would be got me super excited too! From that day on we went through 5 different logos, numerous video calls and meetings, several different color palettes, paperwork, and we became an official 501(c)(3) in March 2022. This proved worth it after our first successful clinic in April 2022! Now, we are growing our membership, team, locations, and initiatives. With your help, we know this organization will introduce so many Black women and girls to a life- long sport I love!

Lastly, welcome to the teammmm!!!

Love,

Virginia Thornton & Kimberly Selden

Mission

Black Girls Tennis Club serves as a pathway to joy, radical wellness, and liberation for Black women and girls through culture change, access, representation and exposure.

About

Joy equity and radical wellness are at the forefront of everything we do. We utilize our platform to inform, encourage, motivate, and change the narrative. Liberation through sports and PLAY is a significant concept that can transform communities. Our efforts support economic development, local tourism, family preservation, legacy, and generational abundance.

We focus on four key pillars to bring our mission into reality:

Culture Change - Creating an environment where Black women and girls in tennis have the same opportunities as everyone else on and off the court. Dismantling the systemic barriers that prevent equality in sports. Shifting attitudes around what’s appropriate in tennis culture.

Access - Working with local governments to assess public access to courts and tennis programming. Improving tennis conditions. Creating opportunities locally, nationally and globally for Black women and girls to see and participate in tennis and tennis-related activities.

Representation - Representation on and off the court, in decision-making rooms and the places and spaces that dictate tennis culture. Amplifying Black women and girls narratives in tennis.

Exposure - Introducing tennis as a source of health and wellness, opportunities, community, recreational play and joy for all ages. Exposure to the idea of hobbies as necessary and a lifestyle centered around community and radical wellness through individual liberation.

Black Girls Tennis Club Incorporated

It's more than tennis.

Giving Tuesday 2025