Identifying with Negro leaguers

By Isabelle Khurshudyan

Just a few steps into Kansas City's Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, an exhibit comes to life.

A timeline of the history of the Negro leagues wraps around a replica of the Kansas City Monarchs baseball field. There are statues of the team's players in their positions on the field, with Satchel Paige pitching, of course. The field is dark until the outfield lights flicker on, letting the metal statues shine.
The Negro leagues' players shined during my first trip to the museum as their stories were illuminated.
Knowing little about the Negro leagues, I was fascinated by the stories outside of Jackie Robinson that made an impact on not only the game of baseball, but on society as a whole.
Living in South Carolina, where the Confederate flag hangs at the Statehouse, civil rights is an issue that's is right in front of me every time I drive past. Touring the museum, I was most moved by the stories of the Negro leagues players' challenges in traveling for games in some parts of the country.
Negro leagues players would have to stay in black homes or black hotels, and they could only eat in black restaurants. If a team was playing in New York, it was limited to staying in Harlem.
Lodging became so difficult for the Monarchs that they relied only on black boarding homes and private homes when they were on the road. If rooms were unavailable, players had to pitch tents and camp in the woods or near the ballpark. Early in the decade, the teams had to travel in segregated rail cars.
I have been fortunate to live a comfortable life in a time when America is becoming increasingly tolerant, but the stories of the Negro leagues players reminded me of the stories my Ukranian grandparents told me of having to immigrate to the United States nearly 40 years ago.
My grandmother was Jewish, and my Greek Orthodox grandfather would be passed over for promotions in favor of others without Jewish ties because of the growing anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union. My grandparents came to America for a better and more tolerant quality of life. For the Negro leagues players, where could they go?
Stepping onto the museum's "field," I had my answer.
The baseball diamond was these players' sanctuary. The color of their skin didn't help them hit home runs or turn double plays. When the lights at the field turned on, everyone beamed.