Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Playing to the End: Elder Black Men, Placemaking, and Dominoes in Denver

Playing to the End: Elder Black Men, Placemaking, and Dominoes in Denver

Bialostok, Steve

Hardcover

Series: Anthropology of Contemporary North America

AnthropologyBlack American StudiesRegional: West

ISBN10: 1496244710
ISBN13: 9781496244710
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Published: Jan 1 2026
Pages: 246
Weight: 1.10
Height: 0.69 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
In Playing to the End, Steve Bialostok immerses readers in the vibrant world of the card room at Denver's Hiawatha Davis Jr. Recreation Center, where a group of older Black men gather to play dominoes, exchange playful banter known as talking shit, and cultivate a space of belonging. More than just a game, their gatherings are acts of Black placemaking--resisting cultural erasure, gentrification, and societal marginalization while fostering joy, resilience, and community.

Through five years of ethnographic study, Bialostok reveals how these men transform the card room into a sanctuary of identity and defiance, where humor and camaraderie become tools of self-determination. As they navigate the pressures of a changing neighborhood, their interactions affirm the power of play, talk, and collective memory in sustaining Black spaces. Playing to the End is a compelling testament to the significance of these gatherings and the ongoing struggle for autonomy, cultural affirmation, and social connection in an inequitable world.

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