2024 Women’s History Month Celebration
March 2024

Great Lives Lecture and Women’s History Month Major Speaker: Billie Jean King by biographer Johnette Howard

Thursday, March 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall 

Billie Jean King is acknowledged as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, as attested by the fact that she won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 20 at Wimbledon, and was ranked as the #1 women’s player in the world six times. Among her most memorable accomplishments on the court was her victory over Bobby Riggs in 1973 in the so-called Battle of the Sexes, watched by 90 million viewers. 

But beyond her singular athletic achievements, she has been in the vanguard of the movement for social justice and equality. In 1990 she was named by Life magazine as one of the “100 Most Important Americans in the 20th Century” and in 2009 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama for her work on behalf of women and the LGBT community. 

Johnette Howard is an award-winning author who has written for the Washington Post, Newsday, and Sports Illustrated, among other publications, and has also served as an on-air commentator for ESPN. She has written two books, the most recent being a collaboration with Billie Jean king on the acclaimed tennis player’s autobiography, titled All In. 

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at 540/654-1044 or visit www.students.umw.edu/multicultural.

Please email us at umwjfmc@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding disability-related accommodations.