Negro League Baseball Museum (Kansas City)

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Negro League Baseball Museum

The Negro League Baseball Museum (NLBM) is the only museum in the world dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of African-American baseball. This privately funded non-profit organization was founded in 1990 and in November 1997, under the leadership of its late chairman John "Buck" O'Neil, the NLBM moved into a new 10,000 sqft home, in 18th & Vine District, the center of African-American cultural complex in Kansas City, Missouri. NLBM shares its premises with the American Jazz Museum.[1]

Background

Negro League Baseball Museum Baseball Hall.jpg

The Negro League Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 by a group of former Negro league baseball players, Alfred Surratt, Buck O'Neil, Larry Lester, Phil S. Dixon and Horace Peterson. The Museum dedicated to preserving the history of Negro League Baseball.[2]

The National Association of Amateur Baseball Players rejected African-American membership in 1867, and the professional National League owners adopted an agreement to keep Black players out the field. Because black people were not accepted into baseball major and minor leagues because of the racism in the United States, they formed their own team and created a professional team in the 1880s. A turning point for Black baseball came in 1920 when Rube Foster founded the Negro National League and launched with eight teams.

In 2020, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the seven Negro leagues would be recognized as official major leagues, provided their player records and statistics were calculated in the baseball’s record book.[3]

Vandalism

In 2018, the museum had a serious issue with vandalism for a week. Museum staff responded to a series of alerts from a fire alarm panel to a flooded museum.[4] The vandals broke into the center of the museum and cut water pipes on the second floor and seriously damaging the first floor and basement.[5] This vandalism is the second suspected hate crime-related incident involving a Negro League landmark in Kansas City on that month.[6] Not far from the museum is Satchel Paige's house (the first black pitcher to play in the World Series) which also caught fire. A fire destroyed the top two floors and put a serious hurdle in front of museum staff members who had hoped to one day restore the home and help it become an officially designated historical site. Kansas City Police Department, confirms it's being treated as an arson, though they have no suspects. Despite the lack of evidence, police consider the two incidents to be related.[4]

A months later, the museum got a donation from virtually every corner of the country.[7]

Black Empowerment

The Negro Leagues was founded by Andrew "Rube" Foster at a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in 1920. The building is located on a National Register of Historic Places site, only two blocks from the museum. The layout of the museum is a timeline of the Negro League and American History. Exhibits include hundreds of photos, historical artifacts and several interactive computer stations. As the core of NLBM, "Legend of Coors" has 10 life-size bronze sculptures of Negro League figures, placed on simulated baseball diamonds, just like playing a game. The Hall of Fame Locker pays tribute to the Negro League players who have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[8]

Don Motley, one of the founders of the Negro League Baseball Museum has a passion for baseball and is in the heart of the museum. According to him, NLBM will maintain the interest and passion of baseball for young black kids.[9]

In 2020, the museum struggles during the pandemic and an event, like The Centennial Celebration of the Negro Leagues had to be canceled. The BLM supporters donated thousands, to ensure the museum could continue the event until 2021. This is one of their ways to support BLM movement even though they are not being able to join protests.[10]

References

  1. ABOUT THE NLBM: Where History Touches Home. Retrieved January 19 2021.
  2. Negro League Baseball Museum. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 19 2021.
  3. Negro League Baseball. History December 16 2020 (Updated), April 13 2017 (Original). Retrieved January 19 2021.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Who's Trying to Destroy Negro League Landmarks in Kansas City? Bleacher Report June 27 2018. Retrieved January 19 2021.
  5. Vandals damaged Buck O’Neil center. KC should rally around a baseball legend’s vision. The Kansas City Star June 26 2018. Retrieved January 19 2021.
  6. Negro Leagues Museum's $4M renovation project delayed by vandals. Yahoo Sports Contributor June 28, 2018. Retrieved January, 24 2021.
  7. When the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was vandalized, people from across the country stepped up to help  CNN August 10 2018. Retrieved January 19 2021.
  8. NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM. Visiti KC. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  9. Don Motley’s Museum Will Keep Negro League Baseball Alive For Black Boys. The Undefeated November 29 2016. Retrieved January 19 2021.
  10. Thousands donated to Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in response to injustice. KCTV5 June 8 2020. Retrieved January 19 2021.