“Before you can say Jackie Robinson--Black Baseball in America in the Era of the Color Line” on 6/3

Historian Larry Hogan and performer Kevin Kane will present “Before you can say Jackie Robinson--Black baseball in America in the Era of the Color Line.”

Black professional baseball originates in the decade of the 1880's and comes down to the advent of Jackie Robinson's entry into the Major Leagues. This program tells the story of great Black players and great Black teams who played their games behind a color line built by American racism. It locates this story into the larger Black and white world of which Black baseball was a part.

During this program, a documentary which features players speaking to audiences about their playing days will be shown. Kevin Kane, poet, playwright, performer, and former program representative for playwright August Wilson, will present his original poem, “Breaking the Line with the Mudville Nine,” which introduces audiences to K.C. of Kansas City, and stands side by side with the iconic American baseball poem, “Casey at the Bat.”

Read more and Register.