Grandfather of Black Basketball - by Edwin Bancroft Henderson (Hardcover)

About the Book

The first contemporary biography of Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, a civil rights activist who, as a coach, athlete, administrator, and author, is credited with introducing the game of basketball to Black players, coaches, and the media.

Book Synopsis

The first contemporary biography of Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, a civil rights activist who, as a coach, athlete, administrator, and author, is credited with introducing the game of basketball to Black players, coaches, and the media.

Review Quotes

[Dr. E. B. Henderson] was a one-man band. Not just in terms of playing, coaching, and fundraising for basketball. This is the guy who gave Black basketball structure. Not just in the literal sense, but also in a historical context. He really chronicled the origins of Black basketball. (From the 2014 GVI production of E. B. Henderson's induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame)

Informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of B/W historical photos, eighteen pages of Notes, a ten page listing of References, and an eighteen page Index, "The Grandfather of Black Basketball: The Life and Times of Dr. E. B. Henderson" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition for personal, community, and college/university library African American & Sports/Basketball history and biography collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

The Grandfather of Black Basketball is a very detailed, impassioned, and compelling biography that is essential reading for anyone interested in Edwin Bancroft Henderson and the larger civil rights struggle and role of sport during the first half of the twentieth century and beyond. Tracing his earliest days in Washington, DC, through his last years in Tuskegee, Alabama, the book makes clear Henderson's extraordinary versatility, influence, and commitment to social justice as a physical educator, administrator, community activist, and chronicler of African American athletes.

This is more than a story about hoops. While E. B. Henderson made important contributions in that realm, he also was an avid proponent of equal rights for African Americans beyond the basketball court. The Hendersons' determination to generate change was a testimony to their strong will and dedication to protecting the rights of African Americans. The Grandfather of Black Basketball is a reminder of the many fronts on which African Americans have to function. Henderson understood focusing only on basketball was not enough. The challenges facing African Americans had to be confronted and resisted. His story is an important one historically and for the present day.

About the Author

Edwin Bancroft Henderson II is the founding president and director of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, whose mission it is to research, preserve and celebrate the African American and civil rights history of Falls Church, Fairfax County, and Northern Virginia. He received 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 Historical Society of Washington. He has served on the Falls Church Historical Commission since 1995. Henderson was an educator for 25 years and is the namesake of Dr. E. B. Henderson.