Journey into the history and ideology of racial segregation in America and how it related to all facets of society, including professional baseball with a free program, titled “Separate, Not Equal: The Ideology of Racial Segregation in America.” The talk, led by Dr. Bruce Tyler, associate professor of history at the University of Louisville, starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Main Library (301 York Street). This is the second program held in conjunction with the nationally touring “Pride and Passion: African American Baseball Experience” exhibit at the Main Library.
Baseball is America’s pastime, and as long as there has been a game, African Americans have been playing it, despite challenges to equal rights and opportunities. Dr. Tyler will connect the historical African American struggle against segregation to the one within the early years of this nation’s favorite sport.
Last week, P.J. Shelley, tour and programming director at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, presented a history of African Americans in baseball, including a special look at the relationship of Jackie Robinson and Louisville’s Pee Wee Reese. The “Pride and Passion: African American Baseball Experience” traveling exhibit at the Main Library is on display until August 3, 2012.
Photo courtesy of the Louisville Free Public Library.
