In 1920, Chris Huiswoud became the first basketball referee of African descent to be formally sanctioned (allowed) by the AAU.
First Black Basketball Referee Sanctioned
Like the phonograph, the blog is leading to a new Black Renaissance that is redefining who we think we are in music, fashion, literature, the arts, and of course, in sports.
Top of the list among all possible pre-NBA players for enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame, is Black Fives Era superstar Clarence ‘Fats’ Jenkins.
Monticello Athletic Association’s black national basketball championship in 1912 paved the way for other African American teams, by showing that determined teams from any city could win.
I was on the Afronerd Blog last week for an interview with the Afronerd. Please check it out by clicking below. He’s a very intelligent, passionate, conscious brother who publishes the Afronerd Blog. He’s also ridiculously funny but like most nerds he doesn’t realize it. His blog, the Afronerd Blog, calls itself a web sanctuary… Read more »
Our list of the most deserving Black Fives Era players and contributors who are not yet enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 1930, a 6-ft. 7-in. black female basketball player was a rare sight. That is, everywhere but on the South Side of Chicago, where the Club Store Coeds, a.k.a. Chocolate Coeds played.
In 1948, the New York Rens made history by replacing the Detroit Vagabond Kings of the National Basketball League as the Dayton Rens. But, was it a raw deal?
December 18 is the anniversary (1908) of the first inter-city game between two African American basketball teams.
They were pretty. They were magnificent. They were the Chicago Roamers, a.k.a. the Roamer Girls, a great African American womens basketball team you probably never heard of until now.
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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