Residents of Greenbelt and the surrounding areas were honored to have a Negro League Hall of Famer, Luther “Luke” Atkinson, and a display of Black Baseball memorabilia. The exhibit was the first event of a month-long program sponsored by the City of Greenbelt to celebrate Black History Month. The event was organized by the Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee and additionally sponsored by RUAK (Random Unselfish Acts of Kindness).
African American men playing baseball faced segregation and Jim Crow laws, and were excluded from the Major League Baseball world until 1945. The Negro League, created in the 1920s, provided opportunities for men with world-class abilities to play ball and, as well, brought baseball to the world by introducing professional baseball to Japan in 1927. Players from the Negro Leagues were the first people from the United States to play in many Spanish-speaking countries. Games were often attended by an integrated audience when such socialization was unheard of at that time.
Luke Atkinson played with the Satchel Paige All-Stars, Wilson All Stars and the Carolina Tigers in the Negro Baseball League. Atkinson said that baseball and the league played a big part in the civil rights movement. It was a big money-making enterprise that could not be overlooked. While serving in the military from 1960 to 1961, he played on integrated teams.
Rayner Banks, co-founder of the Hubert V. Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball, Inc., displayed material from the mid-1800s to the 1960s. Donald Conway, of Prince George’s County, showed some of his collection; Black Diamond Ltd.’s material on display included T-shirts, books, hats and jackets. The exhibits included such items as large photos of many players, a video of some historic games, signed baseballs and baseball bats, baseball cards, news articles, books and even some mugs with photographs of players on them. A copy of a U.S. Postage stamp of Andrew “Rube” Foster, considered the Father of Black Baseball, was also on display.
Although not able to attend the event, this reporter spoke to Mrs. Geraldine Day, widow of Hall of Famer Leon Day. She said her husband’s love of the game kept him playing despite many difficulties, including promises of money that never materialized and dealing with segregation when traveling in the South. Day described the racism the team encountered, where, many times the team couldn’t get gas on the road so they got a bus that had two gas tanks, and they were only allowed to play on the big ballfields when the Major League wasn’t playing on them. One sheriff in Georgia told the team if they didn’t let his “n” team win they would go to jail. While traveling in Puerto Rico and Canada for games the treatment was much better with higher pay, and the men reported that they were treated with a greater degree of dignity.
Visitors to the event included Jen and Jay Jenkins of New Market, Md., who joined others in their love of baseball as well as their interest in preserving this history. Andrew Phelan, a local baseball fan, was excited to add to his knowledge. Also present was Eli Bar, a teacher from Montgomery County, who includes some history of Negro League Baseball in his Black History classes and was eager to gain more information.
Several members of the Simmons-Day All Stars over-70 baseball team of Maryland enjoyed showing off their shirts and jackets as well as joking around. David Smoot, Sr., of Severn, said that at some of the tournaments ballplayers win rings. The team travels as far south as Florida and many states in between.
Leeann Irwin is the co-chair of the Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee along with Lois Rosado.