In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Negro League baseball, the Heinz History Center is partnering with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Josh Gibson Foundation, and Carnegie Museum of Art to host an engaging panel discussion on Thursday, Feb. 13.
The date marks exactly 100 years since the Negro National League – the first African American professional baseball league – was established at a YMCA in Kansas City, Mo.
The Negro League Centennial Commemoration at the History Center will examine the legacy and impact of the Negro Leagues here in Pittsburgh with an all-star panel featuring:
- Al Oliver, Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star outfielder and member of the 1971 World Series Champion team
- Sean Gibson, executive director, Josh Gibson Foundation; great-grandson of the legendary slugger
- Rob Ruck, professor of history, University of Pittsburgh; author of “Raceball”
- Samuel W Black, director of the African American Program at the Heinz History Center
- Charlene Foggie-Barnett, Teenie Harris Archive Specialist, Carnegie Museum of Art
The panel will be moderated by Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play announcer Joe Block.
The event will also showcase the world of Negro League baseball through the images of legendary Pittsburgh photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris, courtesy of the Teenie Harris Archive at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
As home to two of the Negro League’s most dominant teams – the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords – Pittsburgh was once the center of Negro League baseball. The legacy of the city’s Negro League teams is evident inside the walls of Cooperstown, as 15 players from the Grays and Crawfords are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The event includes access to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, where visitors can see that legacy on display, including a rare Homestead Grays uniform, a glove worn by legendary hurler Satchel Paige, and a lifelike figure of Josh Gibson.