Wyndham Rewards Unveils Mural Honoring The Greensboro Six at Gillespie Golf Course
Unveiled during annual First Tee – Central Carolina youth clinic, event kicks off a week of activities supporting the PGA TOUR’s 85th annual Wyndham Championship
GREENSBORO, N.C. (Aug. 6, 2024) – Civil rights pioneers, The Greensboro Six, are being celebrated today with the unveiling of a mural at historic Gillespie Golf Course in Greensboro, N.C. The culmination of a year-long journey first announced during last year’s 84th annual Wyndham Championship, the outdoor mural, created by Brooklyn-based artist Vincent Ballentine, highlights the six men’s role in helping desegregate the game of golf while celebrating First Tee – Central Carolina, which today calls Gillespie home.
“Just over a year ago, we stood in this exact spot and shared the story of The Greensboro Six, six civil rights pioneers who not only made history here at Gillespie but in turn, helped change the game of professional golf. This mural is our way of memorializing these heroes and sharing their story with a new generation of golfers—all of whom walk in their footsteps.”
– Ryan Wilson, CEO, First Tee – Central Carolina
“Gillespie is a special place—one that has transformed over the decades to play a special role in this community. Now, as future generations of golfers come here and learn the game, it’s my hope that this piece can serve as a reminder, sparking meaningful conversation about The Greensboro Six and how their courageous story ultimately helped to uplift this community and empower others across these great 50 states.”
– Vincent Ballentine, Artist
Sharing the Story Following today’s mural unveiling, Wyndham Rewards, in collaboration with First Tee – Central Carolina, announced plans for a short-form documentary detailing the story of The Greensboro Six and the creation of the mural. Under direction from two-time Emmy nominated director and writer, Eternal Polk—best known for his award-winning film, Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land—the film takes viewers behind-the-scenes with never-before-shared insights and interviews with surviving family members, local leaders and key community figures, among others. Slated to debut at a later date, a trailer for the film is now available at FirstTeeCentralCarolina.org/Mural-Project.
“It is an honor to help bring to life the story of The Greensboro Six and their triumph over racism and discrimination. They are an example of the power of doing good and it’s my hope their story inspires others to continue the fight for equality.”
– Eternal Polk, Director
The Legacy of The Greensboro Six
In 1955, less than one week after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, six Black men led by Dr. George Simkins started a local movement of their own by defiantly playing a round at the whites-only Gillespie Golf Course. They were later arrested, convicted of trespassing and spent 15 days in jail. Seven years and numerous court cases later, their actions along with others led to Gillespie desegregating and later, seeing The Greater Greensboro Open (now the Wyndham Championship) become the first PGA TOUR event in the South to welcome a Black player (Charlie Sifford).
Today, Gillespie is home to First Tee – Central Carolina, a national youth development program using the game of golf to create life-changing opportunities for local youth on and off the course. It also has the distinction of being the first course in North Carolina to offer PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), a national program leveraging golf to enhance the wellbeing of active-duty military and veterans and is one of the only courses in the Triad catering to players with spinal injuries and disabilities through adaptive equipment and free programs.
Images associated with the above release can be downloaded here.
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About The City of Greensboro
Built around the core values of respect, inclusiveness, safety, innovation and sustainability, the mission of the City of Greensboro is to shape an inclusive future for equitable economic opportunity and sustainable, safe neighborhoods through resident focused services and programs. The Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department exists to provide professional and diverse leisure opportunities through inclusive programs, facilities, parks, and open space, ensuring that Greensboro is a desirable place to work, live, and play. Learn more at Greensboro-NC.gov.
About First Tee – Central Carolina First Tee – Central Carolina is a youth development organization that enables kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. Using golf and life skills as our tools, we provide kids opportunities on and off the course they may never have otherwise. We are active throughout the Triad region, and specifically focused on serving the East Greensboro and East Winston-Salem communities. Learn more at FirstTeeCentralCarolina.org.
About The Wyndham Championship
Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the seventh-oldest event on the PGA TOUR, excluding the Majors. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Rewards and presenting sponsor Truist for their continued support. Additional tournament information is available at WyndhamChampionship.com and the tournament’s social media channels (@WyndhamChamp) on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
About Wyndham Rewards
Proud title sponsor of the Wyndham Championship, Wyndham Rewards® is the blue thread tying together some of the world’s largest and most well-known travel companies and brands: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company and Club Wyndham®, the flagship vacation ownership brand of Travel + Leisure Co. Recognized as the #1 hotel rewards program by both U.S. News and World Report and USA Today, members—approximately 110 million enrolled around the world—earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and can redeem for free nights starting at just 7,500 points. With more than 60,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally, no other hotel rewards program is more generous or offers more places to stay. Join for free at WyndhamRewards.com.
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