Dr. Rita Liberti at work in UNC Greensboro's Jackson Library As if she were opening a door into another world, sports historian Rita Liberti draws you into the 1920’s and 1930’s when basketball opened opportunities for black women at historically black colleges and universities that were not shared by many of their white counterparts. At HBCUs in North Carolina, and particularly at Greensboro’s Bennett College, women’s basketball reached a level of prominence and success that would fade as the 1940’s came and expectations about gender roles changed. Between 1925 and 1945, however, with strong administrative support, young women from as far as Detroit were recruited to come play basketball at Bennett, and provided grants-in-aid to do so. They played on high profile, well-organized teams that traveled extensively and played 20 game schedules against teams from other black colleges and universities. Liberti has an infectious passion for her subject. ...
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