Take 5 with Theresa Runstedtler

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