( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) BIG EAST Conference Recently Partnered with The Black Fives Foundation to Celebrate Black History in Basketball
ENSPIRE Contributor: Natalie Dean
BIG EAST Conference recently celebrated Black History Month by partnering with the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission of researching, teaching, and honoring the memory of pre-NBA Black basketball players. “Black Fives” refers to the all-Black teams that existed and flourished before the racial integration of sports teams, brought on by the National Basketball League in the 1940s and the National Basketball Association in the 1950s.
The Conference hosted 22 games to honor Black athletes, coaches, and the sports communities, all of whom have played an integral role in Black history. Both men and women’s teams competed, each of which wore a commemorative name and uniform in memory of these pioneers.
Claude Johnson, founder, and director of the Black Fives Foundation insists on preserving this part of history. Not only does theis organization keep alive the memory of Black athletes who persevered through and overcame their struggles, but it also teaches modern audiences about culturally significant history.
Even now that Black History Month has ended, it is important to pay attention to organizations such as the Black Fives Foundation. To learn more about upcoming and ongoing projects and to get more information about their mission, visit their website here.
To see upcoming events from BIG East, click here!
Related articles: Celebrating Black History Month in America’s Most Diverse City
