Basketball court designs have evolved from simplistic markings that provide demarcations for dimensions to space for team logos, corporate advertisements and unique style compositions.
But the new court at Paul Quinn College in Dallas is one that features an important history lesson.
Unveiled Tuesday, the court inside the school’s Health and Wellness Center features Paul Quinn’s connection to the city, with an eye-popping black, silver and purple color scheme that features the Dallas skyline from pre-integration 1920s.
We are taking the game to an entirely different level. We are coming for everything………. https://t.co/XIgSEDMtRI
— Michael Sorrell (@michaelsorrell) October 19, 2021
“Those of us at Paul Quinn College, we really weren’t welcome in Downtown Dallas, Paul Quinn College President Michael Sorrell told FOX 4 in Dallas. “That was the Jim Crow South.”
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Sorrel, who worked closely with designer Ryan Parker, explained the historical significance of confronting the city’s “uncomfortable history.”
“We are going to build our path forward on this uncomfortable history,” he said. “He (Parker) went back and looked at our institution and looked at what we stand for, looked at what we mean to this community, look at how we advocate for our community and said, ‘Let’s turn this into a history lesson,’ And that’s what it is.”
