About this episode

JJ Schultzel interviews Theresa Runstedtler about her research on race, labor, and basketball.

Jepson student JJ Schultzel, '28, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Theresa Runstedtler prior to her Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "When the NBA Became Black: Race and Labor in Professional Basketball." A scholar of African American history and professor and department chair at American University, Theresa Runstedtler researches Black popular culture, with a particular focus on the intersection of race, gender, labor, and sport. She is the author of "Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation That Saved the Soul of the NBA." Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. March 23, 2026

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