The HBCU All-Star Game at Grand Canyon University was either a basketball game or a party, depending upon whom you ask.

Either version would be accurate, and it has me convinced that Black Phoenix needs to come together to do it again — but with a football game. When we take care of our own communities, it boosts the entire state.

“Everything was first class in Phoenix,” said Travis L. Williams, the driving force behind the hoops showcase that doubled as a massive community service project.

The DJs inside the arena and outside at the business fair blasted tunes on Sunday afternoon from Cameo and Chic to SVW and Soul For Real, karaoke hits that Black folks like me know from hearing them during Sunday morning chores or road trips in the backseat of our parents’ cars.

The game was the culmination of a week of events that included homeless outreach, a renovation project at Grant Park, a historically Black college and university school fair at Phoenix College.

It all served to give Arizona students a chance to consider being educated at a historically Black school that highlights African American history of overcoming oppression and obstacles on our unique path to accomplishing the American Dream.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities “have a strong record of accepting students who don’t come from affluent backgrounds, who don’t have the same educational opportunities early on … events like this shed light on educational opportunities that are out there for Black youth,” said Eboni “Muse” Johnson, visual artist and creative behind the storytelling series “Centered.”

It’s particularly important as states led by conservatives are pushing........

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