Greetings Brothers,

Last week I was working in Cambridge, Massachusetts and one evening after work I decided to jump on the red line and visit Harvard. Although school was out and graduation ceremonies were held the week before, when I emerged from the subway Harvard Square was still a buzz with activity. As I entered the gates to the campus and found my way to Harvard Yard I felt the awesome presence of history, and more profoundly, black history. I’m convinced there is no other predominately white institution of learning that could have that effect on me, except for maybe the University of Alabama or Ole Miss…but for very different reasons. The latter represents our overcoming the worst of white people under contrived circumstances and the former represents our “parity” with all humanity in real and meaningful terms, regardless of the measure. (The use of the word “parity” is arguably diplomatic (weak) considering our history of enslavement.

Anyway, that’s not what this week’s Monday Pearl is about. This week’s Monday Pearl is about basketball. The night before my sojourn to Harvard, I spent the night in my hotel room working and watching game 3 of the NBA finals. Fast forward, while riding back on the subway from Harvard to my hotel I made an Omega connection between my seemingly unrelated visit to Harvard and game 3 of the NBA finals. I remembered a reclamation and fellowship event I organized with Brother Rohulamin Quander to celebrate the induction of Brother Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Henderson studied at Harvard, was a charter member of Alpha Omega chapter, and will always be known as the “Grandfather of Black Basketball.”

Please check out the attached documents and these great videos and other resources on the web (see links below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2CaF1WcloQ – Hall of Fame Induction Speech and Ceremony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgc-ha87kfM – Strong Men and Women in Virginia History – 2018 Honoree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtoHU-Nsaj8&t=95s – Dr. E.B. Henderson: The Grandfather of Black Basketball (Revised Edition)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcpeRBmeqB0 – Black Magic The Rise of Black Basketabll (Part 1 containing content on E.B. Henderson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khMUks-hjGU – Black Magic The Rise of Black Basketball (Full Version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHn8kAKHR9g – Chauncey Billups Honors E.B. Henderson

http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/edwin-henderson/ – New England Historical Society

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1622ribVnHhG6OU7qqslvb32sBz51Nw_X -The Life of Edwin Bancroft Henderson and his Professional Contributions to Physical Education by Leon N Coursey

Read More – 3_EB Henderson Article

Read More – 1_EBH_HOF_Flyer

Make it a great week Brothers. Go Toronto! Be noble!

F.I.E.T.T.S.
3rd District History and Archives Committee
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The Monday Pearl is provided by the Third District History and Archives Committee and is a weekly sharing of fraternity content, commentary, and research of historical value we hope Brothers will enjoy and from which Brothers will draw inspiration. Previous “Pearls” can be found at http://3rddistrictques.org/about-us/overview/monday-pearl/. The Committee encourages your feedback. Should you have reactions, comments, information, anecdotes, documents, and the like, related to any of the content we share, we’d very much like to hear from you. Please send all communication to 3dhistoryandarchives@gmail.com.