Bob Motley, last living Negro Baseball League umpire. He is the father of our guest, Bryon Motley. Image source

On this episode, we learn about an important part of baseball and U.S. history, the Negro Baseball Leagues. We hear from Byron Motley, filmmaker, artist, author and son of Bob Motley, Negro Baseball League umpire who shares knowledge from his and his father’s life.

We learn about how and why the Leagues were formed, who were some of the most stand-out players and what were their experiences, how and why the Leagues came to an end, and what they can teach us about our society and our future!

Complete the activities below to challenge what you know and learn more!

Vocabulary

Vocabulary words can be found with throughout the page in bold.

Negro Baseball Leagues 

Baseball is a popular sport and tradition in the United States. A baseball league is created when a group of teams play each other regularly or compete in the same championship. The most highly acknowledged league in the US is Major League Baseball or MLB, but there have been other leagues, such as the Negro Baseball Leagues. These leagues were created in 1920, under the practice of segregation, the separation of people of different races. Black athletes who wanted to play baseball professionally were not allowed to play on the same field at the same time as white players, so some team owners organized the Negro Leagues for athletes who were Black, of African or Latino descent, or of other diverse races. 

Segregation and the Civil Rights Movement

The civil rights movement was a massive effort made by thousands of Americans in the 1950s and 1960s to end racial segregation and discrimination and allow non-whites to gain equal rights. The causes of the  movement were rooted in the harmful injustices of colonization and slavery. When slavery was ended after the Civil War, other systems of discriminiation still existed, such as the passing of Jim Crow Laws, which legally established segregation, and denied Black Americans the the right to vote, hold jobs, get an education, go to certain stores or restaurants, and many other opportunities. Those who tried to have these privleges faced arrest, fines, violence and even death.

After generations of this unfair treatment, leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcom X, and even  baseball players like Jackie Robinson began to organize to demand equal rights. They used many strategies including nonviolent protesting, marches, speeches, art, boycotts, and collaborated with other groups including Asian and Mexican Americans and people of diverse religions. By fighting through the court systems and gaining public support, the Civil Rights Act was finally passed in 1964, prohibiting discrimination based on race, skin color and other factors. Jackie Robinson joined MLB in 1947, and by the time the act was passed, the Negro Baseball Leagues were dissolving, and baseball became more racially integrated.

The Negro Baseball Leagues were created, grew, and eventually ended due to what was happening in  society. As we learn on this episode, this is what makes them so interesting and important to learn about, because they teach us about the history of how mistakes such as racial segregation have a real impact on people and society and how good things come out of integrated settings, such as baseball fans getting to enjoy the sport and see atheletes that look like them play alongside people of any skin color. 

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law in 1964. The previous president John F. Kennedy supported the act but was assisinated. In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King was also assasinated. This deeply impacted the country and still affects people to this day. Some recent laws being passed still restrict civil rights of people, the fight for equal rights continues. Image source

We recommend Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh and And We Rise by Erica Martin

The Black-Latino Experience

The Negro Baseball Leagues were created due to racial segregation in the United States, but they thrived for being so inclusive of players of other countries of origin and diverse ethnicities. The Negro Baseball Leagues welcomed talented players from Latin America including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, among others. These athletes experienced a very stressful career while in the United States because they were treated worse for their skin color and it was legal to segregate and discriminate, when in their home country, it was not. On the other hand, as we heard from our guest Byron Motley, black players from the United States could go to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and live a life with more respect and freedoms. 

On our show we heard our guest mention that one of the reasons why the Negro Baseball Leagues began to dissolve and it became more socially acceptable that Black players integrate into MLB is because of how much people saw and realized that Black Americans were contributing to the nation, as they always had but now in regards to helping defend the United States in World War II. Black women took on essential jobs such as recycling and repurposing equipment, manufacturing, growing and preparing food items, making uniforms, and more. Seeing Black soldiers in newspapers and on television made many non-black people realize that they deserved equal rights, for equal sacrifices. This shift in perspective along with all the efforts of the Civil Rights movement helped to lead to the end of segregated baseball, with the integration of players such as Jackie Robinson, who also served in the US army.

Black women worked in essential roles that supported the efforts of the war. Image source

Challenge: Document Your Family’s History

Our guest Byron Motley taught us the importance of documenting family history. He described how when growing up he used to hear his dad’s stories of being a umpire for the Negro Baseball Leagues, an “ump” is the person in charge of enforcing the rules of the game. They judge the game play, decide results, assign points and penalties and make sure that players stay safe. Bryon realized his dad had incredible history to tell, so he started asking questions and documenting his fathers knowledge and experience, creating a documentary film.

Now its your turn! Think of someone in your family that you would like to learn more about. If possible, find your oldest living relative or someone who has not had their life documented yet but has lived a lot of experiences. Brainstorm questions to ask them, interview and record your person, document their information and create something that you can share with others to teach about their life. Use the template in the activities to help guide you.