Edwin Bancroft Henderson, known as the grandfather of basketball, introduced the sport to his students in 1904. In 1906, the Athletic Club of Brooklyn, NY, became the first independent black basketball team in the country. Others followed, including the New York Girls, the first all black female team. Blacks weren't able to play on white teams and they were banned from playing in gymnasiums owned by whites. This never slowed them down, instead, they played in other spaces, including church basements, dance ballrooms, and meeting halls. We can learn a lot from the obstacles and challenges these pioneers faced, they had no road map or precedent, probably some of those challenges they faced are similar to those we face today. .
African American Women tried to form different ways to enjoy America's pastime, they were ready to embrace basketball as part of their own culture and strategy to challenge Jim Crow and inequality. Founded in 1931, two of the earliest all-black, all-female basketball clubs were the Philadelphia Tribune Girls led by Ora Mae Washington, and the Chicago Romas. The rise of these female basketball teams was a step forward to reinforce Black Nationalism. Dozens of all-black teams emerged during this era, coming from New York City, Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlantic City, Cleveland, and other cities were a substantial African-American population lived. The Romas, one of the greatest female ball clubs of all time, played against male and female teams, never lost a game for six years after World War 2 (1939-1945). Mignon Burns, Corrine Robinson, Lillian Ross, Lola Porter, Issadore Channels, and Virginia Wills were among the Romas best players of all time. These women weren't only basketball athletes, but, they were a symbol of freedom, not only were they trying to prove themselves in American society, but they were trying to show that they were just as good as white women.