Black in Blue: The Duke Sports and Race Project critically studies race and sports at Duke, within its geographic placement, and beyond. This faculty-led project has three pillars, with each examining the politics and histories of intercollegiate athletics and athletes, particularly in revenue-generating sports.
Project Pillars
- Public events/podcasts with researchers, activists, former and current athletes, and coaches
- Undergraduate courses focused on race and sports
- Workshops to engage in critical and constructive dialogue about experiences, and histories of Black student-athletes
RECENT EVENT: The History of Black Student-Athletes and Activism at Duke
Black in Blue brought together Claudius "C.B." Claiborne, Duke's first Black student-athlete, and former Duke women's lacrosse player Michelle Staggers. In addition to success in sports and in the classroom, Claiborne participated in the 1969 Allen Building sit-in during his Senior year, and Staggers co-founded Duke United Black Athletes in 2018 as a college Junior. In this conversation, they discussed the similarities and differences across their experiences as barrier-breaking athletes and activists at Duke and beyond. The conversation was moderated by Javier Wallace, post-doctoral fellow in African & African American Studies at Duke, and an in-person watch party was held March 2 at the Mary Lou Williams Center for students and other members of the Duke Community who could not attend the virtual public event.
Featured Courses
FALL 2022
Deporte Negrx: The AfroLatinx
Sport Experience
AAAS 290-01
This course examines the Black Latin American and AfroLatinx sporting experience over time. Their hypervisibility has brought much prestige to their countries. However, their success on behalf of the nation doesn't equate to improved... read more
FALL 2022
Images of
Black Masculinity
AAAS 338-01
The late Muhammad Ali may have been the most recognizable Black Man of the 20th Century, in no small part due to the fact that he was one of the most photographed sports figures of the 20th Century. Ali’s own investment in curating... read more
Student Projects
Emma Coleman, Isaiah Fisher-Smith, Tre Freeman, Madison Rhea, Wade Unger
Sara Rovit, Jordyn Oliver, Elijah Wroten, Malik Bowen, Hayden Rosenfeld
Jordan Castleman, Sayyid Stevens, Cam Bergeron
Katie Newton, Brooke Schmidt, Aeneas Peebles, Amir Daley, Brendan Pernecky
Meredith Hutchinson, Hannah Steven, BJ Johnson, Mir Hagans, Chloe Schaefgen
Steve Park, Trey Brown, Talia Roth, Melissa Sandoval Mullis, Clayton Finney
Carina Dagotto, Alexia Jackson, Carl Fisher, Trent Broadnax, Miguel Ramirez
Noelle Fuchs, Matthew O’Stricker, Kendall Satcowitz, Lina Sinsheimer, Amber Smith
Grissim Anderson, Andrew Danowitz, Drew Greene, Justin Pickett
Blade Clarke, Justice Hatcher, Lucas Gonzalez, Elizabeth Balogun
Sammy Cohen, Ryan Colon, Amanda Tuzzo, Amanda Padden
Alexander McMullen, Koby Cohen, Eli Baker, Brandon Lee, Jonta Robertson