World-renowned DJ, radio personality, streetball player and sneaker guru Robert ‘Bobbito’ Garcia ’88 led a movie screening and talkback during the 22nd Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium, Sept. 26 in the Goldsmith Family Cinema. Garcia spoke about his journey to Wesleyan and beyond, in addition to sharing his award-winning independent documentary Doin’ it in the Park, which explores the history, culture, and social impact of New York’s summer basketball scene.Shot at 180 courts in 75 days, the film covers a cross-section of players both professional and amateur, including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kenny Smith, “Pee Wee” Kirkland, “Fly” Williams, God Shammgod, Tim “Headache” Gittens, Corey “Homicide” Williams, Kenny Anderson, Jack Ryan, Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon, Niki Avery, Milani Malik, and the Park Pick-Up Players of New York City. The filmmakers traveled to most of the film locations by bicycle, carrying camera equipment and a basketball in their backpacks.
Following the talk and screening, Garcia met up with Rob Rosenthal, the, Director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life and the John E. Andrus Professor of Sociology; and John Driscoll, advisor in the Career Center.Garcia, a New York native, is currently the announcer for ESPNU’s Elite 24 Game and the Red Bull King of the Rock Championship, as well as producer of his own Full Court 21 NYC Tournament. A self-proclaimed “outdoor b-ball activist,” Garcia has played in 35 countries throughout five continents, and has acted as an ambassador for the sport, giving clinics and donating sneakers in multiple developing areas. (Photo by Justin Francis)Trustee Joyce Hall ’78, a former Black Alumni Council Chair, introduced Garcia to the audience.The Dwight L. Greene Symposium honors Dwight L. Greene ’70 as a memorial and tribute to his life and work as a professor of law, mentor and friend. Sponsored by the Black Alumni Council and the Wesleyan Alumni of Color Network, presenters are selected each year from among Wesleyan’s alumni, faculty and friends who have distinguished themselves in their professions. (Photos by John Van Vlack)
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