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August 9, 2024
The MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation (YDF) is granting $2 million to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, Missouri in the United States. The grant will support the museum’s $30 million capital campaign to build a new facility, expanding its ability to further the legacy and storytelling of Negro Leagues for generations to come.
NLBM is a US non-profit dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball and its profound impact on the social advancement of America and the sport. Black Americans have played baseball since the game gained popularity across the US during the Civil War. However, they were barred from the highest levels of organized baseball (beginning in the 1860s) by racist Jim Crow laws, segregation and unwritten agreements between team owners.
In 1920, a league was formed under the guidance of Andrew ‘Rube’ Foster – a former player, manager and owner for the Chicago American Giants – where Black athletes like himself could properly showcase their talents. The Negro National League (NNL) was born, which brought in around 3 million fans to their games over the years and was replaced by the Negro American League (NAL) in 1937. The NAL continued in popularity with Kansas City Monarchs’ (and Brooklyn Dodgers legend) Jackie Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier in 1947.
In December 2020, MLB finally recognized players from the Negro Leagues. After 100 years, all 3,400 players – from 1920 to 1948 – were elevated to MLB status. “The Negro Leagues is a story of excellence and resiliency by individuals who accomplished extraordinary feats in the face of bigotry and discrimination. Educating our fans and the public about this history will continue to be a priority for MLB,” said Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
Starting off in a “one-room office in 1990,” the NLBM is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball, bringing in over two million visitors. Over three decades, the NLBM has grown into a civil rights and social justice museum seen through a baseball lens that aims to foster greater diversity, equity and inclusion. Through various events and programs, NLBM inspires courage, skill and perseverance in new generations of Black and Hispanic baseball players.
“We want everyone to walk out of this museum understanding how important the Negro Leagues were in the social advancement of this country and what they meant economically to African-American communities,” said NLMB President Bob Kendrick to GQ magazine.
The YDF’s contribution to help build a new 30,000 square-foot home in Kansas City for the museum is a nod to the league’s commitment to uplift the NAL following years of discrimination. The new museum will also create a Negro Leagues Campus. This announcement followed a $500,000 grant to the Negro Leagues Family Alliance, which was made in connection to the MLB at Rickwood Field: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues event in June.
YDF is a joint initiative by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) to support the availability and caliber of amateur baseball and softball programs across the US and internationally.
MLB is a Founding Supporter of Beyond Sport.
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