Bob Kendrick won the Branch Rickey Award presented last night by the St. Louis Baseball Writers Association. Bob is President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and an extraordinary advocate and storyteller on civil rights. Baseball is a remarkable and often painful prism through which to view racism, justice, and civil rights. On his “Black Diamonds” podcast this week, Bob reminded us of the filthy racism that the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Don Newcombe endured as they sought to integrate baseball at mid-century. It’s a foul and filthy racism that stubbornly endures and, in some circles, flourishes to this day. We recognize on this Martin Luther King Day that the immediate future will be very divisive and painful. Nonetheless, as Dr. King said, “We must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.” After all, as he also said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” Keep the faith and keep those ligh...
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