Duke University is home to one of college basketball's most storied programs. And since the end of the whites-only admissions policy in 1963, Black student-athletes have propelled the success of many Blue Devil teams, including men’s and women’s basketball and football. Duke has become a brand name, attracting giant television contracts and corporate endorsements built on the accomplishments of students for whom race still fundamentally shapes their experiences. Black in Blue, a faculty-led project, critically studies race and sports at Duke, within its geographic placement, and beyond.
The Black in Blue project has three pillars. Each examines the politics and histories of intercollegiate athletics and athletes, particularly in revenue-generating sports. They are:
- A series of public events and podcasts that convene researchers, activists, former and current athletes, and coaches.
- Undergraduate courses focused on race and sports.
- A sequence of workshops brings together Duke athletes and collegiate athletes from around the country to engage in critical and constructive dialogue about athlete's experiences, and the histories of Black student-athletes on college campuses.