Through a generous donor gift we recently acquired a major historical African American basketball artifact for the Black Fives Foundation Archives! Take a look!
Donor Gift Allows Acquisition of Major Historical African American Basketball Artifact
Our new logo for the Black Fives Foundation Archives, to give them their own identity and their own focus within the overall mission of the organization.
This historic 1941 basketball ticket that celebrates FDR’s birthday and raises funds to prevent Infantile Paralysis represents a major milestone in the sport.
After finishing his debut season with the minor league Montreal Royals, Jackie signed a pro BASKETBALL contract with the Los Angeles Red Devils in October ’46.
This week’s artifact is literally one of the building blocks of America’s basketball history as well as the Harlem Renaissance Period. #makehistorynow
The new ‘Make History Now’ video by ’47 brought to you by SLAM with Chicago Bulls star Taj Gibson, visual artist Swopes, rapper Lil Bibby, and some of Chicago’s best young ballers.
This new repository allows more room to expand the size of our archive and provides many fundamentally important capabilities that were previously missing.
Akron, Ohio’s all-black American Legion Post No. 272 basketball team was a wartime squad that won the Akron city championship for the 1944-45 season.
Styles from the Black Fives Collection are more than just tees, caps, and jackets. They’re stories waiting to be told … by the young as well as the old.
WATCH: The dedication of John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs Way, a portion of Hoe Avenue in the Bronx renamed after the basketball pioneer and community legend.
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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