Updated: January 15, 2023 Published: January 15, 2023
Cal Williams, center, cheers for kids as they play in the Hoops 4 Unity basketball game at the Fairview Community Recreation Center in Anchorage on Saturday. John Carter, right, sat alongside Williams to watch his grandson, Elohim Todd, play. The games were hosted by the Alaska Black Caucus as a solidarity weekend event in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
Anchorage police officers, elected officials and children took to the basketball court Saturday during the Alaska Black Caucus’ Hoops 4 Unity event at the Fairview Community Recreation Center.
The event works to connect kids with law enforcement in a positive environment and build on those relationships, said Celeste Hodge Growden, Alaska Black Caucus president/CEO.
Held two days prior to MLK Day, the event celebrates the spirit and life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Every time we host this event, it brings tears to my eyes because it’s such a great opportunity for our young people,” she said.
George Martinez, president of the Northeast Community Council, warms up with his son before the basketball game. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
Members of the West High girls basketball team, including Aniah Harris, left, Litara Taualii, center, and Amaya Hudson, right, cheer for kids playing in the basketball game. Harris, Taualii and Hudson were volunteers at the event. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor, right, and Alan Growden volunteer as referees during the Hoops 4 Unity basketball game. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
Kids play alongside Anchorage police officers and elected officials during the Hoops 4 Unity basketball game at the Fairview Community Recreation Center on Saturday. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
Kids eat popcorn as they sit on the sidelines and wait for their turn to play. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
Teams swap players during the Hoops 4 Unity basketball game at the Fairview Community Recreation Center. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
George Martinez talks with teammates after the basketball game. (Emily Mesner / ADN)
Emily Mesner is a multimedia journalist for the Anchorage Daily News. She previously worked for the National Park Service at Denali National Park and Preserve and the Western Arctic National Parklands in Kotzebue, at the Cordova Times and at the Jackson Citizen Patriot in Jackson, Michigan.
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