Today we celebrate Paul Robeson’s birthday. Robeson was born on April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey.
Paul Robeson, Pro Basketball Star: Happy Birthday!
I was reminded that the elder Lloyd was the first black player to wear Converse All Stars in an NBA game.
YouTube didn’t like the video clip I included in my Pimp My Ride post from the other day! Viacom pimped Black Fives, so why can’t I pimp Viacom? They hated it so much, that I got this email: Dear Member: This is to notify you that we have removed or disabled access to the following… Read more »
If you hate the N.B.A.’s dress code on shorts, at least consider that you didn’t have to wear these.
It doesn’t work. The new Vogue Magazine cover featuring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen is all wrong.
Black Fives (the brand) is featured nicely in the Style section of today’s Washington Post. The lengthy tribute to Converse, by Post staff writer Hank Stuever, celebrates the company’s 100th anniversary this year. The online version of this article somehow manages to cram Black Fives, Nirvana, Rob Lowe, and Tom Cruise onto the same short… Read more »
These are some new pre-Chuck Taylors with an upper made of laser-detailed leather.
I started this blog 6 months and 155 blog posts ago! Thank you for your encouragement and support!
This is something about how I got my Black Fives retro gear placed in a classic episode of Pimp My Ride, along with clips of Xzibit wearing it.
Introducing the Black Fives Converse All Star “Laced Up” Hi. These are some new Chuck Taylors where the upper is made of shoe strings. Design quality, texture, craftsmanship. Different, yet the same. A beautiful rendition of a classic shoe, this new style makes history now. Plus these are part of the company’s Black Fives collection.… Read more »
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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 ![]()
#archives ![]()
#sportsbusiness ![]()
#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