Washington Historical Society Hosts Event on D.C. Baseball, Negro League Exhibits
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Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Historical Society of Washington and the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum will hold a family event this afternoon to promote the exhibitions "Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia" and the traveling display "Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Baseball Leagues."
Indoor and outdoor activities run from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Historical Society, and will include a batting cage, pitching cage, a dunk tank and autograph sessions with former members of the Negro leagues' Homestead Grays.
The "Discover Greatness" exhibition, organized by the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo., provides a national look into early black involvement with baseball. The Anacostia Community Museum's "Separate and Unequaled" exhibit celebrates Washington's relationship with African Americans in baseball during segregation.
Gail Lowe, co-curator for the "Separate and Unequaled" display, said the exhibition highlights African Americans' influence upon the game.
"The exhibit chronicles the rich history of African American involvement in the sport of baseball," Lowe said. "It gives us a sense of the sport as an area not only of accomplishment during segregated times but also as a means to bridge some of the social and cultural differences."
In addition, the exhibits "Riots are the Language of the Unheard: A Forty Year Retrospective" and "Frank Smith: 40 Years Since the Riots" will premiere. The exhibits will provide an investigation into the grievances that sparked the 1968 riots and the city's work to address those grievances. They also will incorporate artifacts, photographs and YouTube videos.
"We've decided to go beneath the surface of what people usually talk about when they reference the riots," said Sandy Bellamy, executive director of the Historical Society. "We wanted to investigate what the underlying grievances were."
The Negro league exhibitions will be on display until Oct. 5, and the riots and Frank Smith displays will view until Dec. 15.
The Historical Society is located at 801 K St. NW, at Mount Vernon Square.
