Hmm … I think one modern day dunk from any number of current players would smash this apparatus to bits.
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A brief shout out to the Stentonworth Athletic Club of 1911, one of the first African American basketball teams in Philadelphia. The team featured Frank Forbes, a graduate of Southern Manual Training High School (which became South Philadelphia High School in 1915) where he was a dominating all-around athlete. “Of the school and club men,… Read more »
Continuing the thought from my blog post on Friday: Can you name some reasons why this is a beautiful sight? “Yes, your majesty.” “What beautiful locks you have, your majesty.” I decided to put down as many of my own reasons that I could think of: Any basketball hoop is a beautiful sight to a… Read more »
Do you take the time to see the beauty in all things? I learned that from the very first album I ever bought, That’s The Way Of The World, the Earth, Wind & Fire masterpiece. I bought it at a Woolworth’s in 1974 when I was a freshman in high school. On that album, there… Read more »
Here’s a section of my bookshelf. What’s on your shelf? Got any favorites?
On May 7, 2008 at 10:00 a.m., I’ll be the featured guest speaker at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for their MVP’s of Character Education Series. Here’s what their website says about this program: The goal of this program is to offer teachers and students an opportunity to explore the relationship between healthy… Read more »
In April, 1912 the Twelfth Street Colored Y.M.C.A. of Washington, D.C. opened. Here’s some more about this landmark building in Part II of a series.
Hey, why not? In a feature length article that appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune over the weekend, Black Fives got a nice mention. Derron Williams, Utah Jazz. That’s cool, because the Tribune is the largest newspaper in Utah. And it shows how far a good syndicated article can go if it has legs. So,… Read more »
One of the most beautiful vintage gymnasiums on the planet is at the old Twelfth Street Colored Y.M.C.A. in Washington, D.C.
My niece in D.C. gave me this idea for displaying the Converse Black Fives Century Pack: That’s an actual antique wooden Converse shoe crate at the bottom, and a vintage laced leather basketball nestled cozy in between. How have you put yours up?
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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.![]()
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Make History Now.![]()
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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