NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in conjunction with Duquesne University hosted a webinar with Claude Johnson, author of The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball’s Forgotten Era on Thursday, Feb. 23 from 2-3 pm ET / 1-2 pm CT. Part of the A-10 and its member institution’s celebration of Black History Month, the interactive webinar was streamed and broadcast live on the Duquesne campus, and is now available to watch via replay.
 
WATCH THE REPLAY
 
The story behind Johnson’s book began while he was working for the NBA in the late 1990s. As part of the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary, it produced an 800-page NBA Encyclopedia 50^th Anniversary book that dedicated just three pages to African American basketball teams. Johnson knew there were more teams and began researching pre-NBA Black men’s and women’s basketball teams. That set Johnson on a path to uncover and spotlight the history of African Americans playing basketball across the U.S. – both men’s and women’s teams – which became Johnson’s book and ultimately led him to create the Black Fives Foundation.
 
The Atlantic 10 shares a geographic footprint with many Black Fives Teams, from Philadelphia, Chicago and Pittsburgh to Dayton, Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the 2023 A-10 Men’s Basketball Championship. This worthwhile and fascinating conversation will help educate participants on the important history of these teams and their influence in forming the foundation of modern basketball.
 
Co-chairs of the A-10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Duquesne University President Ken Gormley and La Salle University Athletic Director Brian Baptiste will serve as moderators of the virtual discussion, which will be filmed in Duquesne’s new state-of-the-art media studio. A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade will open the panel, which will be broadcast for students, faculty, staff and alumni at all 15 A-10 member institution campuses to mark Black History Month.