American Tennis Star James Blake Coming to Fairfield University | Press Releases

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (January 26, 2017) —Tennis player James Blake returns to Fairfield when he takes the stage at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Monday, January 30, 2017 at 8 p.m. The Fairfield High School alumnus will discuss the highs (and lows) of his career as a part of the University’s signature town hall-style lecture series, Open VISIONS Forum (OVF), which will be presented in collaboration with Fairfield University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week.

In 2015, New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board ruled in James Blake’s favor after an undercover NYPD officer was found to have used “excessive force” in body slamming the tennis legend to the pavement after mistaking him for a suspect in a credit card fraud investigation. The incident is one of several national controversies about race and police violence that have been part of the national conversation in recent years.

Blake is the winner of ten singles titles, a Davis Cup and the author of The New York Times bestselling memoir Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life . Following his mistaken arrest, the tennis star — once ranked number four in the world — has expressed the same passion and energy he brought to the courts toward the fight for equality and social justice.

During his appearance at the Quick , Blake will reflect on his journey from his childhood in Yonkers, to Fairfield High School, to the U.S. Open, and eventually to the arrest on East 42nd Street in Manhattan where his life would change forever, again.

Blake will engage in a full day of activities for Fairfield University on Monday, including teaching a youth tennis clinic at the alumni-owned Tennis Club of Trumbull where Lucas the Stag will make an appearance, to a Q&A session with Fairfield’s varsity tennis teams, and a post-lecture book signing.

At the 8 p.m. OVF lecture, Blake will be joined on stage by a guest panel that will feature Connecticut Post Editorial Page Editor Michael J. Daly , Fairfield Chief of Police Gary MacNamara and Retired West Hartford Police Captain and Distinguished Visiting Professional in Applied Ethics in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions Peter J. McDermott .

Don’t miss James Blake at the Quick Center for the Arts on the Fairfield University campus, Monday, January 30, 2017 at 8 p.m. Tickets, on sale now, $35 |$27 for Quick Center members. For more information on tickets, please visit quickcenter.com or call the Box Office at 203-254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. This event is sponsored by Delamar Southport, TV Eyes, The Tennis Club of Trumbull and Moffly Media.