The Black Fives

How the “Sporting Life” impacted the social and cultural development of America:

The Black Fives Era of Basketball (1904-1950) explores the important role of African American basketball teams.

“The Black Fives” is a short film by award-winning director Marco Williams, produced by the New York Historical Society to introduce the first-ever comprehensive museum exhibition on the Black Fives Era of basketball (1904–1950). The production is narrated by Claude Johnson, founder and executive director of the Black Fives Foundation, who is also the museum’s guest curator for the exhibition.

The Black Fives Exhibition: Short Film Intro from The Black Fives Foundation on Vimeo.