As part of Homecoming Week at the University of the District of Columbia, UDC’s College of Arts & Sciences hosted an inspiring evening with Edwin Bancroft Henderson II, author of “The Grandfather of Black Basketball: The Life and Times of Dr. E.B. Henderson.” The event, held Nov. 14, celebrated the legacy of the author’s grandfather, E.B. Henderson, a pioneer in sports and civil rights, and an alumnus of UDC predecessor school Miner Teachers College — which helped lay the foundation for his historic achievements and enduring commitment to social justice.
In the first half of the 20th century, the elder Henderson opened doors for Black athletes and transformed access to organized sports in a segregated America. Among his many groundbreaking contributions mentioned in the biography, Henderson was the first African American certified to teach physical education in the United States. He also founded the Eastern Board of Officials, an organization that trained referees and advanced fairness and professionalism in the games.
Undeterred by the discrimination he encountered in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Henderson created his own league, the Interscholastic Athletic Association — the first African American athletic league “When he tried to get his team into the AAU, they told him that his teams would not be able to play against the white teams because of segregation,” Henderson II recounted. “They encouraged him to start his own league, so he did.”
The book event at UDC highlighted Henderson’s significant contributions to civil rights on and off the basketball court. He was a tireless advocate for racial equity, organizing the first rural branch of the NAACP, in Falls Church, Virginia, and documenting the accomplishments of Black athletes through his landmark books, including “The Negro in Sports” and “The Black Athlete: Emergence and Arrival.”
Henderson II shared how his grandfather’s life exemplified the intersection of athletics and activism. “Sports were not separate from the fight for equality, and E.B. Henderson was at the forefront of that fight. My grandfather understood that achieving equity on the court was part of a larger struggle for equity everywhere. He knew that to be a leader in sports was to also be a leader in civil rights,” he said.
In 2013, Henderson was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. UDC proudly honors Henderson’s legacy with the E.B. Henderson Sports Complex and life-size statue, and with events that celebrate his life and underscore the importance of carrying forward the values he championed: resilience, equity and justice.