Amid the tawdry spectacle of Virginia statewide officeholders stumbling through racial indiscretions, the city of Richmond this week provided a much-needed grace note. After decades of punting away the idea, the Richmond City Council voted Feb. 11 to rename a majestic street, known simply as the Boulevard, for tennis champion and Richmond native Arthur Ashe.

For anyone who saw in real time the admirable way Ashe carried himself, not to mention the breathtaking manner he alternately floated and slashed his way across tennis courts, the council’s decision comes as a signally appropriate recognition of merit and character.