Sunday, November 20, 2005

Call to Media to Memorialize the Negro League

William Li has a wonderful post on his blog regarding the Negro League and the Hall of Fame. Namely, Will wonders whether the vote to induct more Negro League players into the Hall of Fame in February 2006, coupled with the fact that most witnesses to Negro League games are getting older, means the media--and print media in particular--has an obligation to:

a) bring awareness of the players who may be inducted; and

b) gather accounts and stories of the Negro Leagues, before the firsthand accounts can no longer be found.

Will would like to issue a call to sportswriters to profile players and to ask for firsthand accounts in their newspaper columns, so that in tandem with the vote in February, we can promote awareness of the Negro League game and gather stories and anecdotes from people who were actually there. He invites feedback, so be sure to check out his extensive commentary and respond with any ideas or reflections.

Personally, I find it astonishing that explicit, legal segregation existed just 50 years ago--a decade after World War II. But maybe we can view that fact as a positive: race relations have come a long way in just 50 years, and while there remain implicit forms of segregation (particularly in regards to housing and schooling), perhaps it is only a matter of time before they too go away. And projects like Will's will help remind those of us who weren't around 50 years ago of why we need to eradicate racism, once and for all.

Note: The photograph above is of Josh Gibson hitting a home run in 1942 (from the African American Registry).

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