Covering the Same Ground: Three Storytellers on Crispus Attucks Basketball

Thursday, March 21 | 6 – 8 p.m. | Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center | Pre-registration encouraged

IHS Member: Discussion and book – $26, Discussion only – Free

Non-Member: Discussion and Book – $36, Discussion only: $10

A filmmaker, a historian, and a writer walk onto the basketball court and are inspired by one of Indiana’s most inspiring stories: Crispus Attucks High School. While the school was built during the height of the Ku Klux Klan’s influence, the students, faculty, and staff of the school left an undeniable mark with their excellence in academics and extracurriculars. The Crispus Attucks basketball team made history when they won back-to-back Indiana state championships, tackling insurmountable challenges of segregation and the Klan to become one of the most notable teams in Indiana high school basketball history. Their story has inspired storytellers who have researched, interviewed, and continued to tell the story of Crispus Attucks’ legacy.

Join us for an evening with Jack McCallum (author of The Real Hoosiers: Crispus Attucks High School, Oscar Robertson, and the Hidden History of Hoops, 2024), Ted Green (director and producer of Attucks: The School That Opened a City, 2016), and Dr. James Madison (historian and author of The Ku Klux Klan in the Heartland, 2020) as they share their perspectives on approaching the Crispus Attucks story through their respective research and storytelling. Learn about the stories that moved them, what was left on the cutting room floor, and explore how their storytelling mediums can shape the way we understand the Crispus Attucks story.

Following the panel discussion, Jack McCallum will be signing copies of his latest release, The Real Hoosiers: Crispus Attucks High School, Oscar Robertson, and the Hidden History of Hoops. Guests may purchase a copy of the book in advance to pick up at the event for signing; limited quantities of additional copies will be available for purchase at the event.

Meet the Panelists

Jack McCallum was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for thirty years and is still on the masthead as a Special Contributor. The author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller Dream Team, he was elected to the writers’ wing og the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and is best known for his coverage of professional basketball. His work has appeared in Best American Sports Stories, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other publications. He lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His latest work, The Real Hoosiers: Crispus Attucks High School, Oscar Robertson, and the Hidden History of Hoops, will be released on March 5, 2024.

In 2010, Ted Green switched to filmmaking after 20 years as a newspaper journalist. Since then he has produced 8 documentaries, the most recent about baseball star and human-rights champion Carl Erskine. Ted’s work has won: 21 regional Emmys, including Best Documentary for four of his films; the national Gabriel Award for Human Dignity; the national Christopher Award; the Fourth Estate Award from the national American Legion; the Servant Leadership Legacy Award from the Indianapolis Urban League; and the Melvin Simon Tikkun Olam (“Repair the world”) Award from the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis. Ted’s documentaries have screened in film festivals worldwide, at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame; and have been featured in The New York Times and Forbes.com. The Carl Erskine film was licensed by the Major League Baseball Network; Eva: A-7063 aired nationwide on PBS affiliates as well as in Germany and Poland; and Undefeated: The Roger Brown Story aired on ESPN Classic. Ted holds a BA from Princeton University and a Masters from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

James H. Madison is the Thomas and Kathryn Miller Professor Emeritus of History at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he served for four decades. Jim’s books include Eli Lilly: A Life; Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World War II; Hoosiers: A New History of Indiana; A Lynching in the Heartland: Race and Memory in America; and The Ku Klux Klan in the Heartland. He has spoken to dozens of public audiences across the state. Jim is the recipient of the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Lifetime Achievement Award and the Indiana Historical Society’s Legends Award.