This section of the book discusses Women’s basketball at Bennet College in the 1930’s. During this time many universities were taking there women’s basketball teams away because they believed it ran counter to the middle-class feminine ideal. Bennett college was an exertion to this trend and they supported their African American women and kept a basketball team that became very popular. The students supported the team as well as the Bennetts president David Jones that said he worked to create a environment at the college that would allow students enter the world and be full participants in it. This support was very important for the team and Jones understood the struggles that this women were going through and wanted to give them a chance to give back to those around them and do something they loved doing.
They not only wanted the girls to play basketball but too also have a great education at Bennett. This was very important but also it was during a time of much civil rights activism in America and many of the Bennett students wanted to participate in these protest. The school wanted to make sure the students were well behaved and very really let them leave campus so that was another advantage of being on the basketball team because they were allowed to travel to compete against other teams which was a high incentive. Bennett was ahead of its time and challenged the ideas of femininity and gave a chance for women to do something they never would have had the chance to do anywhere else. They were at the forefront of women’s college basketball and they help grow the sport across the country.
Ethan Young
