Diverse cohort of five new members strengthens our mission and focus By Claude Johnson Welcoming New Board Members I am thrilled to welcome five new members to our Board of Directors here at the Black Fives Foundation. They are Tiffany Crowe, Cassius Johnson, Kiel King, Kevin McGruder, and Charles Wade. This addition marks an auspicious… Read more »
Black Fives Foundation Adds New Board Members
PRESS RELEASE BLACK FIVES NONPROFIT ANNOUNCES HARLEM COURT REPAINTING PROJECT TO HONOR 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC NEW YORK RENS BASKETBALL TEAM, ON LOCATION AT SELECTED SITE Working With Manhattan Borough President’s Office and NYC Parks In Partnership With SLAM Media And Project Backboard, The Public Outdoor Court At Howard Bennett Playground On West 135th Street Has… Read more »
98.7 FM ESPN Radio “New York Sports and Beyond” host Larry Hardesty discusses updates from the Black Fives Foundation with special guest Claude Johnson.
Celebrating the birthday of 2X World Pro Basketball Champion and Basketball Hall of Fame member John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs.
The first episode of our new Make History Now podcast is dedicated to basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in the NBA.
The Black Fives Foundation is expanding and reinforcing its mission and goals with solid momentum from strategic partnerships and its first grant.
Since the motto of the 2012 Olympic Games is “Inspire A Generation,” it’s appropriate to reserve some U.S.A. shout outs for early African American athletic club pioneers who, generations ago, helped make today’s successes possible.
Duquesne honors Chuck Cooper, among first blacks in NBA, by staging inaugural Chuck Cooper Classic, a hoops doubleheader featuring HBCU teams. How cool is that?
An early Sunday morning bicycle ride through Harlem leads to sacredness, grace, astonishment, acknowledgment, gratitude, and smiles.
As with any long-lived icon of sports, culture, and history, it is nearly impossible to encapsulate all of the thoughts and remembrances of people into one service, one article, one story, one comment. So, I will continue to share topics relating to John Isaacs from time to time, starting with these.
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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