Humbled by the tweet of another. Here are some recent tweets that we really appreciate.
Some Recent Tweets
Claude Johnson was a guest on WNYC Radio’s Brian Lehrer Show in a segment called “Brooklyn’s Secret African-American Basketball History.”
As part of its grand opening, the Barclays Center has invited many of the known living descendants of early Brooklyn-based Black Fives Era pioneers.
Jay-Z’s co-ownership of the Brooklyn Nets reminds us of the Smart Set Athletic Club — America’s first all-black basketball team — whose players lived in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section where he grew up.
If a community initiative passes final City Council approval, New York City will rename a Bronx street after former Harlem Rens star John Isaacs.
Zack Clayton, one of the greatest basketball players of the Black Fives Era as a star for the New York Renaissance and other teams, was born on May 4, 1910 in Philadelphia.
Globetrotters pioneer Reece ‘Goose’ Tatum, known as the “Clown Prince of Basketball,” will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011.
Today is the anniversary (1939) of the all-black New York Renaissance (a.k.a. “Harlem Rens”) winning the first World Championship of Pro Basketball.
George Crowe, the last surviving member of the New York Rens all-black pro basketball team, would have been 90 years old today. He died earlier this year.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday a new Early African-American Pioneers of the Game Committee, which has the clout to induct with a direct vote.
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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