April 20 Program Explores Baseball’s Integration
Press Release · Thursday, March 30, 2023

Washington, DC

On Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. ET,  ESPN's Clinton Yates will moderate a panel of experts discussing the story and history of integration and the baseball greats who led the way for Jackie Robinson’s historic career. Opening remarks will be provided by U.S. Representative James Clyburn (D-SC). The program is presented by the National Archives in conjunction with its current exhibit All American: The Power of Sports and in partnership with with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. 

The program is free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Green line, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station.  

Panel Discussion: Before 42
Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. ET
Register to attend in person or online; watch on the National Archives YouTube Channel.

Join us for a panel discussion featuring Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and Reverend Ray C. Mackey III, Board Chair of the Biz Mackey Family Foundation, author, and grandnephew of Hall of Fame catcher James Raleigh, “Biz” Mackey, as they discuss the story and history of integration and the baseball greats who led the way for Jackie Robinson’s historic career. The conversation will be moderated by Clinton Yates, columnist, television commentator, and host for ESPN. 

All American: The Power of Sports
The power of sports has many applications. Sports unite people, teach values, and inspire hope and pride. In the United States, sports have powered efforts to bring citizens together, shape them, and project a vision of what it means to be American. But sports convey power to athletes too—power to break social barriers and protest injustice. All American explores the power of sports both to embody our national ideals and challenge us to live up to them.

All American is free and open to the public and is on display in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, through January 7, 2024. This 3,000-square-foot exhibit showcases more than 75 items including original records, artifacts, and photographs. Highlights include original sports equipment and jerseys given by star athletes to Presidents, early 20th-century tobacco baseball cards, trophies, rare pictures and film footage, patents, and more.

All American: The Power of Sports and programs presented in conjunction with the exhibit are made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of AT&T, AARP, and Mars, Incorporated. Additional support provided by HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family.

About the National Archives

The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent federal agency that serves American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, so people can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage. The National Archives ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government. From the Declaration of Independence to accounts of ordinary Americans, the holdings of the National Archives directly touch the lives of millions of people. The agency supports democracy, promotes civic education, and facilitates historical understanding of our national experience. The National Archives carries out its mission through a nationwide network of archives, records centers, and Presidential Libraries and online at www.archives.gov.