August 12, 2024 

A League of Their Own

What is more American than baseball? That is the question I asked myself when I was inspired by an exhibition organized by the African American Men of Westchester with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum called Discover Greatness. ArtsWestchester’s Gallery was filled with portraits of hundreds of players and teams who, in the early part of the 20th century, were denied access to Major League Baseball (MLB). What is so astonishing about these players is that they organized a league of their own, with teams, and cultivated a roster of talented baseball players who ultimately went on to the MLB.
 
I was a teenager at the time, and we dearly loved the Brooklyn Dodgers and their games at Ebbets Field (that is until they moved to Los Angeles, but that’s another story…). We loved them even more in 1947 when Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, offered Jackie Robinson the chance to be first baseman. While he was heckled, jeered and abused by fans and teammates alike, Robinson and the Dodgers began a new era in baseball, during which many Black players changed the game. Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and, of course, Hank Aaron have became the MVPs of baseball and changed American sports forever. But the guys who paved the way for these brilliant Hall of Famers were members of teams like the Kansas City Monarchs, Newark Eagles and Chicago American Giants.
 
Join us in ArtsWestchester’s Gallery on Wednesday, August 14 from noon to 2pm for a special Meet and Greet with Pedro Sierra, a Negro League pitcher with the Indianapolis Clowns and the Detroit Stars from 1954 through 1958. Donovan Mitchell, Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Player Relations for the New York Mets, will introduce Mr. Sierra.