Zion Baptist's three-day hoops event honors Leon Sullivan

Despite gray, dreary weather on Friday morning, energy radiated throughout the gym at Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, where a group of children were brushing up on their basketball skills.

"We walked upstairs" to the gym. "We played ball for a hot second, and we came here," said Yasir Anderson, 11, referring to the community room where volunteers served a hot breakfast to the children.

"I think I got better," said Amani Shumate, 14.

"I got better than both of y'all," Brian Scott, 8, boasted.

The children were participating in the Leon H. Sullivan Community Hoops and Conference, a free three-day event designed to bring positive activities to the community and continue the legacy of  Zion's former pastor, a local and global icon who encouraged educational advancement and economic development in black communities.

Brian, Yasir, and Amani admitted that they didn't know who Sullivan was. Shani Newton, who founded the conference in 2015, hopes to change that.

"We want people to leave knowing who Leon Sullivan was," said Newton. "We're basically just following his lead of using sports to connect with young people."

The third annual conference, which began Friday and will extend through the weekend, will include free basketball clinics and health and educational workshops.

Newton stressed that the conference was about more than sports, noting that workshops included topics such as acquiring scholarships, dealing with health issues, and  looking at how hip-hop music reflects urban issues. She said she hopes the conference will help with efforts to restart sports and mentoring programs, and develop a STEM program to teach young people about tech.

To register for the event, go to www.sullivanhoops.org.