A vintage set of club-going rules from Harlem in 1926.
Harlem’s Ten Club Commandments, 1926
During each December, celebrate the history of African American women who were pioneers in basketball!
The site of the former home of Smart Set Athletic Club founding father Edwin F. Horne, grandfather of Lena Horne, is now a playground in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn.
“Schwarze Herren Schokolade” translates to “Black Man’s Chocolate” in English. This could come in handy, I thought, even if only for a devilish blog post.
It doesn’t work. The new Vogue Magazine cover featuring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen is all wrong.
Superstar hip hop artist Ludacris has had nothin’ but love for Black Fives.
Big name covers from way back include Ray Charles, Leontyne Price, Kim Weston (my favorite), and Melba Moore … but what about Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Fantasia, Ciara, or Rihanna?
Ora Mae Washington, a pioneering African American athlete, was born on January 23, 1898; she was perhaps the greatest female athlete of all time, black or white.
The first Colored YWCA was formed in 1918 in Germantown, a diverse section of Philadelphia. The Germantown Hornets were its all-black female basketball team.
Our list of the most deserving Black Fives Era players and contributors who are not yet enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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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