05/19/2018
Claude Johnson will be on the air live this coming Monday (May 21, 2018) as a guest on the NPR program On Point to discuss his chapter in the new book, "Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs In Sports History." This is a collection of chapters by various writers and authors, compiled by Mike Pesca, host of the Slate podcast The Gist.
Air time will be from 11:20-11:30 AM EST on WBUR 90.9 FM, Boston's NPR Station.
You can listen to the show's live feed online here:
http://www.wbur.org/onpoint.
Along with discussion, the segment will feature Claude reading an excerpt from the chapter, entitled "What If Sweetwater Clifton's Pass Hadn't Gone Awry?"
This chapter speculates that if it weren't for that errant pass then the all-black New York Renaissance would have been one of the original founding franchises in the NBA.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/18892153
Claude Will Be On NPR This Coming Monday | The Black Fives Foundation on Patreon
01/14/2018
Atlanta's Early African American Basketball History -
Atlanta's Early Black Basketball History
If one is willing to go deep enough into the archives and annals of this city, they will find quite a significant history of early African American basketball.
01/13/2018
Atlanta's Early African American Basketball History:
Atlanta's Early Black Basketball History
If one is willing to go deep enough into the archives and annals of this city, they will find quite a significant history of early African American basketball.
09/07/2017
Philadelphia sports legend and community icon Zach Clayton, an early African-American basketball pioneer, is being enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame tomorrow, thanks in part to our efforts. Here is our podcast that tells his story. Enjoy 😊
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/make-history-now/id1161542724?mt=2
Make History Now by Claude Johnson on Apple Podcasts
Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of Make History Now by Claude Johnson for free.
04/15/2017
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on April 1, 2017 that former New York Rens player Zachariah “Zack” Clayton has been elected for enshrinement as a member of its Class of 2017!
Zack Clayton Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame! | The Black Fives Foundation
The Basketball Hall of Fame has elected Black Fives Era pioneer Zack Clayton for enshrinement in its Class of 2017!
09/29/2016
Proving once again that even the tiniest of basketball players can dominate the game!
Eddie 'The Eel' Younger | The Black Fives Foundation
NYC Basketball Hall of Fame member Eddie "The Eel" Younger was a lightning quick 5'-5" ball-handling wizard for the New York Renaissance in the 1940s.
07/31/2016
The amazing Civil Rights Movement context of the 1963 Basketball Hall of Fame Certificate of Election for the enshrinement of the first ever African Americans, the all-black New York Renaissance Big Five. An extraordinary artifact on many levels, it now resides in the Black Fives Foundation Archives.
Donor Gift Allows Acquisition of Major Historical African American Basketball Artifact | The Black Fives Foundation
03/28/2016
This is a reminder that today is the anniversary of the date in 1939 when the all-black New York Renaissance (a.k.a. “Harlem Rens”) won the inaugural World Championship of Professional Basketball, an invitation-only tournament held in Chicago. Why was it important then? What does it mean now? Read up!
New York Rens Won First World Championship of Pro Basketball On Today's Date (1939)
A big anniversary that paved the way for today's game.
09/29/2015
A great long read.
My Article on John Isaacs for the Basketball HOF, Part 1
Claude Johnson's 2-part article originally published in the HOF's 2015 Enshrinement Yearbook.
09/10/2015
We have two (2) tickets to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony tomorrow night in Springfield, Massachusetts, courtesy of our licensing partner 47 Brand, available free to the first person who asks for them via a comment below. This is the Class of 2015 that will include former New York Rens player John "Boy Wonder" Isaacs!
08/28/2015
We are excited to issue this press release, and grateful for our amazing partnerships and alliances that not only have helped us get this far but also inspire us to go much further. Brooklyn Nets, New-York Historical Society, 47 Brand, NBPA
Press Release
The Black Fives Foundation is expanding and reinforcing its mission and goals with solid momentum from strategic partnerships, and its first grant.
08/26/2015
Your invitation to celebrate John "Boy Wonder" Isaacs while also supporting a great cause!
Get a Special John Isaacs Hall of Fame Pennant with a $25 Donation
Donate $25 or more and get a special limited edition pennant by ’47 to celebrate the enshrinement of John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs into the Basketball Hall of Fame! Not available in stores!
08/20/2015
If you are in central Indiana tomorrow, stop in Franklin for the ceremony enshrining two of the state's greatest and most unsung basketball stars, from the same high school.
Franklin (IN) HS Alumni HOF to Induct George Crowe, First Indiana 'Mr. Basketball' and NY Rens Star.
In its first enshrinement class, the newly created Franklin (Indiana) High School Alumni Hall of Fame will induct basketball pioneer George Crowe tomorrow.
08/14/2015
Wir freuen uns, zu sagen (We are glad to say) ...
Europas größte 'Streetwear' Versandhändler, die in Deutschland ansässige KICKZ AG, hat jetzt online verfügbar die BLACK FIVES COLLECTION von '47! (Europe's leading streetwear mail order company, German-based KICKZ, now carries the Black Fives Collection by '47 online!)
Neben einem etablierten internationalen Online Shop betreibt KICKZ außerdem 11 deutsche Filialen, darunter auch Stores in München, Köln, Hamburg, und Berlin! (In addition to an established international online shop, KICKZ also operates 11 stores in Germany, including Munich, Cologne, Hamburg, and Berlin!)
The Black Fives Collection by '47 is now available in Germany and anywhere in the EU, from KICKZ!
08/03/2015
We're thrilled with the new Black Fives Collection by '47. Please check it out, along with their other great styles. Did you know, this is the first sports lifestyle apparel collection ever produced under license through a public charity? This means 100% of the royalties go to charity.
This New Satin Jacket from the Black Fives Collection Got 10,000 Likes on Instagram
This new Black Fives "Overload" satin jacket by '47. Check it out.
08/03/2015
Some more looks inside the New York City launch party for the unique and exciting '47 x Black Fives Collection, at WallPlay on the Lower East Side.
More From the '47 x Black Fives NYC Launch Party
A unique launch event for a unique partnership and collaboration.
08/01/2015
WATCH: New York City launch event for the Black Fives Collection by ’47, on ultra-trendy Orchard Street in the Lower East Side.
'47 x Black Fives Apparel Collection NYC Launch Party
A great inside look at the NYC launch event for the Black Fives Collection by premium sports brand '47.
06/28/2015
As of yesterday, the section of in the between and Streets, adjacent to the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club, is renamed John "Boy Wonder" Isaacs Way. Isaacs, a star player with the , , and other pro teams, was elected to the Hall of Fame in February 2015. He won two world championships (Rens in 1939, Bears in 1943) and was a fiery on-court leader, making his biggest impact in ways that weren't kept track in box scores back then (assists, steals, rebounds, blocks, forced turnovers). After retiring, Isaacs worked as a youth counselor at for over 50 years, mentoring generations of , , and young adults. He had a way with them, and with everyone — it was the .
06/17/2015
Introducing the Black Fives Collection by '47, in collaboration with seven of the country's trendiest urban boutiques, launched last week in NYC and London, now available in stores and online.
Let us know your reaction to this! Thanks.
’47 x Black Fives Foundation
Premium sports lifestyle brand '47 teams with the Black Fives Foundation to create a new apparel collection that commemorates pioneering African American basketball teams of the Black Fives Era, like the New York Rens.
05/12/2015
This team represents Harlem and NYC for their 10U age group and is looking to win a second consecutive Division 1 AAU Basketball National Championship this summer! Please support their GoFundMe drive! We just made a donation. You could too! Even $5 will help! Thanks!
Click here to support National Champs....Road to Repeat by Michella Mccreesh
IN JULY, our 10U AAU basketball team, the Riverside Hawks will be competing in the AAU 4th grade DIVISION I Nationals IN CLARKSVILLE, TENNESSEE to DEFEND last YEAR'S title. CHECK OUT THE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO FROM OUR ROAD LAST YEAR BELOW. We are trying to raise $10,000 to help the team with travel exp...
05/01/2015
These ESPN Radio interviews are their followups to our extensive article about the circumstances surrounding the building’s history, previous ownership, sale, and demolition. The show host, Bill Daughtry, who is a Harlem native, grew up living in an apartment that was down the block overlooking the Renaissance Ballroom and had many fond personal connections to the structure.
ESPN Radio's Followup Interviews on the Renaissance Ballroom Demolition
ESPN Radio New York 98.7 FM host Bill Daughtry interviews Kevin McGruder and Claude Johnson.
04/20/2015
"The Renny wasn’t just a Harlem cultural mecca, it was a West Indian Harlem cultural mecca. Its founding partners were three businessmen from Antigua and Montserrat, Garveyites who believed in Black self-sufficiency." – The Yankee Dollar Blog
Harlem's Calypso Renaissance
I’m a professor, scholar, and calypso fan based at Humboldt State University in California. I’ve been researching and publishing on the cultural significance of calypso in North American for the past dozen years.
04/14/2015
This article, by Kevin McGruder and Claude Johnson, looks at what happened in detail, why it mattered so, and the possible lessons, if any.
Requiem for a Demolished Shrine | The Black Fives Foundation
Efforts to save the Harlem's historic Renaissance Ballroom, a cultural shrine, have failed. It was demolished by its new owners. Here is how this happened.