The Black Three

Prior to the mid-sixties, Grayville, TN, was one of twenty-four 'sundown towns.' A 'sundown town' was a town that had a sign on the outskirts stating, 'Negros are not allowed in the city limits after sundown.' Very few Black individuals lived in Grayville, and the high school rarely had Black students. In August of 2020, a Black doctor relocated to Grayville from Weston, Ohio, to be near his adoptive white parents residing in the Homeland Retirement Center in Pleasant Hill. Grayville had never had a Black basketball player; now, it boasts three. The doctor has three sons: Joseph, a 6' 9" senior, and his twin brothers, Samuel and David, both 6' 6" juniors. The three brothers led Weston to the Ohio State basketball championship. Despite this success, the Cox County youth had grown up with 'culturally absorbed prejudice.' This is the challenge the three Black players encountered.