African-American heroes of our past who sacrificed their lives and careers for the benefit of those to come. Athletes such as Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood, Rube Foster, Althea Gibson, Jack Johnson, Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper and Kenny Washington.
The Black Barons roster consisted of players from the industrial leagues of Alabama. They played their home games at Rickwood Field, which still stands and is the oldest professional ballpark in the United States.
Despite being the first African-American to break into the minor leagues, fans treated Robinson with respect in Montreal. The city grew to love him, and he, in return, it. However, it was a different story when he went on the road.
On April 9, 1947, before Brooklyn announced Robinson as joining the big-league roster Happy Chandler announced a one-year suspension of Durocher. Chandler cited Durocher's string of moral shortcomings: gambling debts, associations with known gamblers and nightlife figures, and a scandalous marriage with charges of adultery, bigamy, and contempt of court.
An essential part of understanding each other is recognizing why there is grave concern among the African-American community. One cannot understand what fears, anxieties, and concerns another face without experiencing it.
In our goal to produce change, we need hearts to change. Hearts change when we care enough about each other to discuss complex issues. Change can only result from being open-minded, empathetic, sympathetic, and willing to listen to others whose concerns are different than yours. Force, intimidation, threats, and violence only produce resentment.