Serve & Belong: Reclaiming South Shore’s Tennis Courts

 Over the past 6 weeks, Rainbow Beach Park Advisory Council hosted our first Cardio Tennis program-and it showed us how powerful it can be when neighbors reclaim the courts. We have so many tennis courts in South Shore, yet most of them sit completely underutilized and not well maintained.... But programs like this can serve to remind us that these spaces were built for us-and they can once again be filled with movement, joy, and opportunity.

We’ll resume this program in mid-September, and I especially encourage women to join. Tennis isn’t only about sport-it sharpens focus, builds confidence, strengthens community, and opens doors to possibilities that many Black communities historically haven’t been exposed to. Taylor Townsend’s journey began on South Side courts too! Opportunities like this let us imagine ourselves, our neighbors, and our children following that same path-not because everyone has to become a champion, but because everyone deserves to belong here!