THE NATION'S LARGEST AFRICAN AMERICAN ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVE
April 27, 2018 - Vol. 1, Issue 30
WEEKLY FEATURE
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Above: Photograph of Yawkey Way outside of Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Yesterday, the Public Improvement Commission in Boston unanimously approved to change the name of Yawkey Way, the two-block street outside of Fenway Park, to Jersey Street.
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The owners of the Boston Red Sox petitioned for the change a few months ago, in an attempt to remedy the team’s racist past.
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Under the leadership of Coach Tom Yawkey, the Boston Red Sox were the last Major League team to integrate, in 1959; Elijah "Pumpsie" Green became the team’s first black player over a decade after Jackie Robinson joined the league.
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While Pumpsie Green’s hiring became an indication of progress, the Red Sox organization continued its practices of segregation, including by restricting Green from traveling with white players.
Walter C. Carrington
, who worked for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, investigated the Red Sox’s unjust practices after management claimed that Green was unfit for Major League play. As a result of Carrington’s inquiry and the subsequent public hearing, the team finally agreed to recall Green.
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[The Honorable Walter C. Carrington, THMDA 1.5.3]
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Major League right fielder
Hank Aaron
spoke about the lack of diversity in the American League, as compared with National League teams. He remembers:
“When kids would play outside, everybody wanted to be in the National League ‘cause if you were in the American League, you had to be white. And it dawned on us then, ‘cause we thought when we started playing, well, you’d be the National League.”
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[Hank Aaron, THMDA 1.3.5]
. Indeed, the Boston club, an American League team, began to dismantle its “reputation for racism” only at the end of Tom Yawkey’s tenure.
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At this time, community members and leaders in Boston remain divided in their perspective on the reversal to Jersey Street, which is Yawkey Way’s former name. However, as baseball season opens, the development is a reminder of the sport’s headway with respect to inclusion. As noted by political science professor Neil J. Sullivan: “Baseball’s history indicates that a conscious insistence on justice in our commercial transactions is not a privilege conferred on a single group but a prudent step in our national interest.”
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For our subscribing institutions, check out our curated playlist of stories that accompanies the above feature. To do so, copy and paste the below URL to the tail end of your university’s specific URL for The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. For example: [Your Institution URL] + [Playlist Tail]
Playlist Tail:
stories/6;IDList=638254%2C665783%2C22217%2C664161%2C169028%2C228399%2C665791%2C420993%2C420992;ListTitle=Integrating%20the%20Boston%20Red%20Sox
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Our apologies for an error in last week's newsletter:
Beyonce is the first African American woman to headline the Coachella Arts and Music Festival; Prince became the first African American artist to headline in 2008.
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THE HISTORYMAKERS ARCHIVE IN ACTION:
"Real Estate and Society"
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Professor Linda Stoller, a senior lecturer in the Brandeis International Business School in Waltham, Massachusetts, developed a group activity around The HistoryMakers Digital Archive for her undergraduate course on Real Estate and Society.
To contextualize the history and nuances of affordable housing policy in the United States, students used the archive to explore the differences between the concept of affordable housing and its application as “public housing.” They were also instructed to watch specific excerpts from the archive, including the interviews of social justice activist
Adjoa Aiyetoro
, who describes the conditions at the Pruitt-Igoe complex in St. Louis, Missouri
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; and nonprofit chief executive
Phillip Jackson
, who speaks to the government mismanagement of public housing in Chicago, Illinois and other cities.
As always, thank you again to all of our wonderful subscribing institutions, and to the faculty and students who are committed to using The HistoryMakers Digital Archive on a regular basis.
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Please share with us your stories of how you incorporate The HistoryMakers Digital Archive into your curriculum and research. We'd love to hear from you!
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NEW CONTENT IN
THE HISTORYMAKERS DIGITAL ARCHIVE
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This week,
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new interviews were added to The HistoryMakers Digital Archive:
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Byron Lars
Fashion designer Byron Lars (1965 - ) launched his label, Byron Lars Beauty Mark, in 2001.
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EDUCATION & LIBRARY/ARCHIVES
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Daryl Cumber Dance
English professor Daryl Cumber Dance (1938 - ) taught courses on African diasporic literature and collected numerous volumes of black folklore, including her seminal text,
Shuckin' and Jivin': Folklore from Contemporary Black Americans
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Savion Glover
Tap dancer, choreographer, and actor Savion Glover (1973 - ) first appeared on Broadway at ten years old, and went on to choreograph and star in
Jelly’s Last Jam
,
Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk
, and
Shuffle Along
.
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Bob Carter
Art professor Bob Carter (1938 - ) cofounded the National Drawing Association, and taught at the Nassau Community College in New York.
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BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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C. Bernard Fulp
Bank executive C. Bernard Fulp (1935 - ) was the executive vice president of private banking for the Bank of New England, as well as the founding president of Middlesex Bank and Trust and GoBiz Solutions, Inc.
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Carole Copeland Thomas
Motivational speaker and business consultant Carole Copeland Thomas (1953 - ) founded the Temporary Solutions employment agency in 1987, and grew the agency into a full service speaking, training, and facilitation company focused on diversity issues.
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Carolyn Whigham
Funeral director Carolyn Whigham (1949 - ) presided over the funeral services for celebrities like Sarah Vaughan and Whitney Houston during her tenure as director of the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark, New Jersey.
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Tristan Walker
Entrepreneur Tristan Walker (1984 - ) was the founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, Inc., which created hair and shaving products for people of color. He also worked on the initial monetization of Twitter, Inc. and Foursquare Labs, Inc.
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Gregory Baranco
Auto sales entrepreneur Gregory Baranco (1948 - ) was the president and CEO of the Baranco Automotive Group.
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Carol Fulp
Corporate executive and nonprofit chief executive Carol Fulp (1952 - ) oversaw community relations and corporate giving at John Hancock Financial Services before she became president and CEO of The Partnership, Inc.
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Stephen L. Williams
City government administrator Stephen L. Williams (1956 - ) was named the director of the Department of Health and Human Services in Houston, Texas in 2004.
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Carolyn Young
Nonprofit executive Carolyn Young ( - ) was the wife of former Ambassador Andrew Young and the vice chairperson of the Andrew J. Young Foundation. She also taught in the Atlanta Public Schools for over thirty years.
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The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr.
Federal district court judge The Honorable John W. Peavy, Jr. (1942 - ) served in the 246th Family District Court from 1977 to 1994, and was instrumental in the reform of the family court system.
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Nina M. Wells
State government appointee and lawyer Nina M. Wells (1950 - ) served as the Secretary of State for New Jersey from 2006 to 2010.
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Yvonne Atkinson Gates
County commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates (1956 - ) represented District D on the Clark County Board of Commissioners, where she was the first African American woman to serve as chair.
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Derek Ferguson
Entertainment chief executive Derek Ferguson (1965 - ) was the chief growth officer for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Combs Enterprises. He also co-founded Urban Profile magazine.
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Ida E. Lewis
Journalist Ida E. Lewis (1934 - ) was the second editor-in-chief of Essence magazine. She also founded Encore magazine, and reported on international news throughout the world.
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5. Sullivan, Neil J., “Baseball and Race: The Limits of Competition.”
The Journal of Negro History
83, no. 3 (Summer 1998): 168-177.
6. The Honorable Walter C. Carrington (The HistoryMakers A2007.069), interviewed by Larry Crowe, February 14, 2007, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 5, story 3, The Honorable Walter C. Carrington describes the integration of the Boston Red Sox.
7. Hank Aaron (The HistoryMakers A2016.064), interviewed by Larry Crowe, October 1, 2016, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 5, Hank Aaron talks about the lack of diversity in the American League.
8. Stout, Glenn, “Tryout and Fallout: Race, Jackie Robinson, and the Red Sox,”
Massachusetts Historical Review
6 (2004): 11-37.
9. Sullivan: 177.
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The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
? We want to fix it! Send a brief description of the error to:
digitalarchive@thehistorymakers.org
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The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
to:
digitalarchive@thehistorymakers.org
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