Meet the Unsung Pioneer of Black Basketball – An Ode to the Man Who Challenged Racial Exploitation in Basketball
Authored by his grandson, Edwin B. Henderson II, this book discusses the life of a child born into a working-class family who grew up to become a prominent figure in the field of Basketball. E. B. Henderson was the first certified African American to teach physical education in the United States. He was the flag bearer of the revolutionary idea of introducing Basketball to the African American community in 1904.
Born in 1883, when black communities were excluded from recreational facilities and playgrounds, E. B. Henderson stood for a better future for his community. He was the first to introduce the sport of Basketball to Blacks, saw physical education as a public health initiative, and used sport as a political tool to build character, self-esteem, and break down the barriers of inferiority and second-class citizenship.
Henderson's story is not about a player or a coach but about inspiration, pure grit, resilience, and hard work. He laid the foundation for the first African American athletic leagues, which gave birth to many elite sports personalities over the years.
E. B. Henderson's progressive vision extended beyond the court; he believed that sports could change how society functioned. He also highlighted the exploitation of African American participation in the first-ever Spalding handbook containing pictures and records of Black athletes and wrote The Negro in Sports to talk about Black American history in Sports.
This biography is an ode to the untiring spirit of sportsmanship and unity as a society. E. B. Henderson believed in equal opportunities and was an avid advocate of desegregation in schools in the '90s. He utilized sports as a tool for societal change by organizing interracial games when such activities were frowned upon. E. B. Henderson dedicated his life to showing the world that African Americans are not inferior to anyone and have the right to exercise equal opportunities in every aspect of life.
To learn more about the life of this remarkable individual, read "The Grandfather of Black Basketball: The Life and Times of Dr. E. B. Henderson" by Edwin Bancroft Henderson II on Amazon.
About the Author
Edwin Bancroft Henderson II is the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation's founding president and director. He established this organization with the purpose of researching, preserving, and celebrating African American and civil rights history in Falls Church, Fairfax County, and Northern Virginia.
Henderson II won the NAACP's African American History Preservation Award and was named a National Trust for Historic Preservation Diversity Scholar. He is a life member of the NAACP and a member of the Washington Historical Society. He has been on the Falls Church Historical Commission since 1995. Henderson taught for 25 years and is the namesake of Dr. E. B. Henderson.
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1 https://www.amazon.com/Grandfather-Black-Basketball-Times-Henderson/dp/1538163616
