On May 30, 1906, the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association of Middle Atlantic States (I.S.A.A.) took root with its first event, a track meet, at Howard University.
First All-Black Athletic Conference Began In D.C., Anniversary This Week
This survey rocks conventional wisdom about who counts in American history: Who are the most famous Americans in history, excluding presidents and first ladies?
Here’s a shout out to the courageous men of Company E, 372nd Colored Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division.
“Schwarze Herren Schokolade” translates to “Black Man’s Chocolate” in English. This could come in handy, I thought, even if only for a devilish blog post.
Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, a former star athlete at Syracuse, spectacular pro hoops player with the New York Rens and Washington Bears, and former Tuskegee Airman, died in a plane crash while on an Army training mission in 1941.
Does the old Renaissance Ballroom sign matter?
My talk at the Basketball Hall of Fame last week was a thrill. I was there as part of the Champions of Character Education Series that I previously described. The auditorium was filled to capacity with 300 students and their teachers, representing middle schools and high schools from Springfield, Hartford, and Albany. The attendees were… Read more »
Pioneering basketball referee Chris Huiswoud, of African descent, shows us how things were done during the Black Fives Era.
This book from 1928 reminds me of just how closely basketball was linked to spirituality, right up into the Great Depression and beyond. It also makes me realize (well, at least from Fig. 6) that the term “get your swerve on” might be a lot older than we first believed. It doesn’t get more fundamental… Read more »
One unsung black sports pioneer stands out among dozens who paved the way during the Black Fives Era, and that’s a remarkable brother named Hunter Johnson.
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Black Fives
We inspire excellence in youth and communities by preserving, teaching, and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball.
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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Something deeper than what’s visible on the surface.![]()
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This piece, created by the Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective from remnants of our Black Fives throwback jerseys, carries that idea.![]()
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On the front, you see something beautiful.![]()
On the back, you see the work.![]()
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Tens of thousands of stitches.![]()
Each one holding the whole together.![]()
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Like the earlier African American basketball pioneers whose names were forgotten, but whose work helped shape the game.![]()
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Like the countless people, often unseen, who did and are doing the work that holds our country together.![]()
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The surface only exists because of what’s behind it.![]()
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And it’s only as strong as the weakest stitch.![]()
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Do we really want to remove certain stitches?![]()
Are we OK with pieces falling apart?![]()
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Do we value the work we don’t see?![]()
Do we recognize it?![]()
Do we protect it?![]()
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That’s the real story.![]()
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A cultural archive. A sports heritage platform.![]()
Build with us.![]()
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Make History Now.![]()
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#culturalheritage ![]()
#intellectualproperty ![]()
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#blackhistory
For years, we have been building something truly remarkable.![]()
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A deep archive of early African American basketball.![]()
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The stories, the images, the history that shaped the game.![]()
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But this is more than an archive.![]()
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It’s a cultural IP and sports heritage platform.![]()
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Infrastructure of history, identity, and assets ready to build with.![]()
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For partners, institutions, and brands who want real cultural authenticity, not just performative optics.![]()
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Build with us.![]()
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blackfives.org/build![]()
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#blackhistory #culturalheritage #brandpartnerships #archives #intellectualproperty