February 13, 2020 marked the 100th anniversary since the Negro League was founded. The players of the league blazed trails in the sport and are set to be honored by the Negro Southern League Museum this Sunday (January 17) at 7 p.m.
The Museum, located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, will celebrate the milestone in a virtual ceremony. It will include honoring those whose names have gone unknown for years, while their contributions on the sport continue to be felt.
“The establishing of the Negro Leagues is a significant milestone in American history,” Museum Director Alicia Johnson Williams said in a statement. “Rube Foster, the Father of the Negro Leagues, accomplished the unspeakable by organizing for African Americans what was considered by many then, and equally many now, the opportunity to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues,” Williams said.
“This gave [B]lack star athletes a chance to do not only what they loved, but something they were very good at during such a tumultuous time as that of segregation,” Williams added.
Comedian Roy Wood, Jr., Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, as well as former players from the Raleigh, North Carolina Tigers, and Birmingham Black Barons are set to make appearances in the celebration.
The Major League Baseball (MLB) announced they’ll be formally recognizing the contributions of Negro League Baseball by including stats into the official MLB data base in December of this year.
If you want to join in the free celebration, RSVP here.
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