WUOM: Sixty-four years before Jackie Robinson, Fleet Walker broke baseball’s color barrier
From WUOM Radio’s “Stateside” on April 11, 2018, with mention of SABR member Craig Brown:
The baseball season is once again upon us. The national pastime carries an overwhelming sense of history and tradition that continues to make the game fascinating to watch — even if your favorite team is struggling.
However, a less romantic part of baseball’s history is its long policy of excluding minorities. That lasted until Jackie Robinson famously broke the Major League color barrier in 1947 playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Or did he?
Mark Harvey, a state archivist with the Michigan History Center, and Craig Brown, a Political Science Adjunct Lecturer from Kent State University, joined Stateside to share the story of Moses Fleetwood Walker, an African American player that joined the Major League for a year in the 1880s.
Listen to the full interview here: http://michiganradio.org/post/sixty-four-years-jackie-robinson-um-athlete-broke-baseball-s-color-barrier
- Related link: Read the SABR biography of Moses Fleetwood Walker
Originally published: April 11, 2018. Last Updated: April 11, 2018.