Richmond is preparing to pull out all the stops to celebrate native son Arthur Ashe Jr. as it renames one its major streets in his honor.

Thousands of people from near and far are expected to participate in the main event 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22 — the unveiling of street signs bearing Mr. Ashe’s name along the 2.5-mile thoroughfare that for generations has been known simply as the Boulevard.

However, even this big effort to mark the new Arthur Ashe Boulevard cannot escape the undertow of city and state politics.

For most people, that undertow will go unnoticed as they take part in the big salute at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture to an international hero who was forced to leave segregated Richmond to pursue his sport and then went on to extraordinary achievements in tennis, as an author and as a humanitarian before his death in 1993.

They will hear speeches about Mr. Ashe’s legacy and the importance of this day from numerous people, including civil rights icon and Georgia Congressman John R. Lewis.

But behind the scenes, the undertow is highly visible.

Most obvious is the role of Dominion Energy as the major sponsor of the celebration and associated activities.

It hardly seems coincidental that the company is wrapping itself in this black history moment, given that is under fire for a pipeline development about 90 miles west of Richmond that could disrupt a rural African-American community.

Nor can it escape notice that the celebration is taking place as Dominion’s top executive, Thomas F. Farrell II, seeks to get City Hall to move ahead with a $1.4 billion project to replace the Richmond Coliseum that he and business friends are proposing.

The event also shines a light on the strained relations between Mayor Levar M. Stoney and some members of City Council.

While the city’s program and list of speakers remained under wraps and had not been released by Free Press publication deadline Wednesday night, members of City Council apparently have been excluded from the list of local, state and national officials who are to deliver remarks during the 90-minute unveiling program.

That includes Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, 2nd District, who played a key role in getting the street renamed in Mr. Ashe’s honor.

Ms. Gray, who is known to be miffed, declined comment, except to confirm that she had not been invited to speak.

Mayor Stoney, who appears to be gearing up for a re-election run next year, will be the most visible city official on the program even though his main role in the renaming was to support and co-patron the proposal that Ms. Gray introduced.

The Free Press confirmed that the mayor initially declined to get directly involved when David O. Harris Jr., a contractor and nephew of Mr. Ashe, met with the mayor about his plan to launch a new effort to change the Boulevard’s name.

The mayor, who can introduce legislation, told Mr. Harris to work on the proposal with members of City Council, according to sources and documents.

Since Mr. Ashe’s death, the council had twice rejected renaming the Boulevard for Mr. Ashe.

Ms. Gray, who is seen by some as a potential challenger to Mayor Stoney, took up the issue with Mr. Harris. She met with civic groups in the area, as well as with businesses and top officials at the major museums, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, which both were supportive.

She arranged for a public meeting to get comments and lobbied members of the council after learning that several had objections or wanted other roads to be considered, including the Downtown Expressway.

Ms. Gray persisted, despite a backlash from some residents

Ms. Gray said she went into the Feb. 11 City Council meeting unsure if the measure to rename the street would pass.

It did, on an 8-1 vote.

Now, despite all her work, Ms. Gray appears to be relegated to the audience.