‘Sport, Race, Activism, and Social Change: The Impact of Dr. Harry Edwards' Scholarship and Service’, published by Cognella in 2011m chronicles the mammoth contributions of Dr. Harry Edwards as a social activist, scholar, and public servant over the span of three decades. Empowered by the Civil Rights Movement and the constructs of black Power, Dr. Harry Edwards emerged as a general in the fight for social justice, equality, and human rights. As the architect of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, Dr. Edwards' activism targeted racial apartheid in the US and in South Africa, as well as the racial injustices occurring within the sphere of sport. His scholarship includes seminal pieces for scholars interested in race, sport, human rights, and the discipline of sport sociology.

‘The New Plantation: black Athletes, College Sports, and Predominantly White NCAA Institutions’, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2010, examines the controversial relationship between predominantly White NCAA Division I Institutions (PWI s) and black athletes, utilizing an internal colonial model. It provides a much-needed in-depth analysis to fully comprehend the magnitude of the forces at work that impact black athletes’ experiences at PWI s. Hawkins provides a conceptual framework for understanding the structural arrangements of PWI s and how they present challenges to black athletes’ academic success; yet, challenges some have overcome and gone on to successful careers, while many have succumbed to these prevailing structural arrangements and have not benefited accordingly. The work is a call for academic reform, collective accountability from the communities that bear the burden of nurturing this athletic talent and the institutions that benefit from it, and collective consciousness to the black male athletes that make of the largest percentage of athletes who generate the most revenue for the NCAA and its member institutions. Its hope is to promote a balanced exchange in the athletic services rendered and the educational services received.
 

‘Critical Race Theory: black Athletic Sporting Experiences in the United States’, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2017, examines the role of race in athletic programs in the United States. Intercollegiate athletics remains a contested terrain where race and racism are critical issues often absent in the public discourse. Recently, the economic motives of intercollegiate athletic programs and academic indiscretions have unveiled behaviors that stand to tarnish the images of institutions of higher education and reinforce racial stereotypes about the intellectual inabilities of black males. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), this volume analyzes sport as the platform that reflects and reinforces ideas about race within American culture, as well as the platform where resistance is forged against dominant racial ideologies.

Historically black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are valuable institutions that provide intellectual domains for racial uplift, racial refuge, and cultural empowerment within a continually polarized nation. Today’s current racial climate reminds us of the historical context that gave birth to HBCUs and segregated athletic experiences. While the sporting life at HBCUs is an integral part of these institutions’ mission, there is a dearth of research about HBCU athletics.
In ‘The Athletic Experience at Historically black Colleges and Universities: Past, Present, and Persistence’, published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers in 2015, leading scholars from across the nation present a holistic examination of the integral role sports have played at HBCUs. Chapters in this volume cover a range of topics, from HBCU Football Classics to economics. It begins with a historical overview of HBCUs and the early sporting life before delving into the experiences of today’s male and female student-athletes – including the unique perspectives of athletes who transferred from historically White colleges and universities to HBCUs. Other chapters examine economic issues at HBCUs, such as the financial viability of their athletic departments in the context of the larger NCAA economic framework, and recommendations for the future of HBCU athletics to restore both academic and athletic excellence at these institutions.
An important addition to the existing literature on race in contemporary society, this volume provides a narrative of the black experience from the historical origins of educating blacks, their early athletic experiences, and the current state of athletics at HBCUs. ‘The Athletic Experience at Historically black Colleges and Universities’ is a significant contribution to the debate on college athletics and higher education, in general, and athletics at HBCUs, specifically. It is a must-read for sport studies scholars and students, sport management practitioners, and sport enthusiasts of the inter-workings of athletics and the HBCU experience.