KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is embarking on a fundraising marketing campaign to lift $25 million for a brand new constructing to deal with its training heart and what has grow to be one of many world’s distinctive collections of baseball memorabilia.
Museum president Bob Kendrick mentioned the “Pitch for the Future” marketing campaign is designed to result in a brand new 30,000-square foot facility that might be adjoining to the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center, which is known as for the Negro Leagues nice who helped to steer the fundraising effort to construct the preliminary museum.
“Our growth from a one-room office to becoming America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has been an amazing journey,” mentioned Kendrick, who additionally introduced that Bank of America had already donated $1 million to the mission.
“Now,” Kendrick mentioned, “we’re building an organization that will continue to preserve and celebrate the triumphant story of the Negro Leagues but also fortify our position as one of the nation’s most important civil rights and social justice institutions.”
Long earlier than Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier, Black gamers had been largely relegated to disparate leagues unfold throughout the U.S., typically embarking on lengthy barnstorming excursions. But the preeminent group was the Negro National League, which was based on the Paseo YMCA within the historic 18th & Vine part of Kansas City, Missouri.
The league was initially composed of eight golf equipment, together with the Kansas City Monarchs of O’Neil, and featured a number of the nice gamers of any period – Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell – a lot of whom by no means received to play within the massive leagues.
Robinson additionally performed for the Monarchs earlier than the Dodgers signed him in 1945 and baseball’s integration started. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks and lots of others additionally received their begins within the Negro Leagues. But over time, as extra Black gamers signed main league contracts, the period of the Negro Leagues slowly got here to an finish.
The museum is designed to maintain that historical past alive. It options lockers arrange for a number of the sport’s finest gamers, a “Field of Legends” the place there are practically life-sized bronze statues of gamers on the sphere, and a group of memorabilia that features practically 200 autographed baseballs donated by Geddy Lee of the Canadian band Rush.
“We share NLBM’s mission to preserve and celebrate the rich history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America,” Matt Linski, the president of Bank of America Kansas City, mentioned in saying its donation.
“Our commitment recognizes the importance – culturally and economically – of the 18th & Vine District to Kansas City and we hope it will be an example for other funders to follow,” Linski mentioned. “Additionally, this grant is paramount to ensuring greater understanding and better appreciation of the many contributions African Americans have made and continue to make, including Jackie Robinson breaking the major-league color barrier.”
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