Audio
Description
Mary Alyce Clemmons describes her experiences as an African American young woman who played basketball for West Charlotte High School until her graduation in 1949. She talks about how basketball was the only sport available for women at the time, and describes differences in rules for women's basketball, the uniforms, and winning an MVP award for her efforts in a North Carolina-South Carolina tournament. Ms. Clemmons recalls barriers to her ability to continue playing basketball, including lack of support for women's sports at the college that she attended, Johnson C. Smith; limited resources for Black athletes; and a belief at the time that basketball was bad for women’s health.