Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is located in Kansas City, MO.

Per Senate Doctument : 109TH CONGRESS REPORT, 2d Session " SENATE REPORT 109–228, Calendar No. 387, APRIL 3, 2006:

"In 1990, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was established in Kansas City, Missouri to preserve and interpret for present and future generations the history of the Negro Leagues and the story of its players. Although the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York recognizes the achievements of baseball’s greatest players of all races, the Negro Leagues Museum tells the remarkable story of the black athletes who built a successful baseball league in the face of racial segregation. As the Museum’s Chairman, John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil, who played in the Negro Leagues himself, testified, "Negro Leagues baseball helped to drive social change in a segregated America." The Museum provides "a gentle explanation of a harsh time in our Nation’s history," and in doing so, serves as "a tool for improving race relations by sharing this overlooked and yet very important history."

In January 2022, the United States Mint authorized the production of a series of commemorative gold and silver United States coin to honor the museum and the legacy of the Negro Leagues, as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations. Such authorization is granted through a highly competitive process to institutions that promote fundamental American values. The coins are available for sale to the public via the museum. The sale of these coins are expected to be a major source of income for the museum in future years. In 2023, the Museum announced that it would be expanding, building a new facility to host its research center, allowing for more exhibition space in the museum proper, which is housed in the historic Paseo YMCA where the founding meeting of the Negro National League was held under the chairmanship of Rube Foster in 1920. The expansion was made possible by a number of donations, including one of $1 million by the Bank of America.

References

This site uses public domain text from the US Senate, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-109srpt228/pdf/CRPT-109srpt228.pdf

Further Reading

• Bill Ladson: "New US Mint coins honor Negro Leagues", mlb.com, January 6, 2022. [1]
• Bill Ladson: "Negro Leagues Museum to build new facility, campus at historic site", mlb.com, May 2, 2023. [2]
• Chris Shaeffer: "Negro Leagues Baseball Museum gearing up for state-of-the-art makeover", mlb.com, August 1, 2024. [3]
• Jordan Wolf: "Negro Leagues Museum inspires, motivates: Breakthrough Series attendees gain 'whole new perspective' on tour", mlb.com, June 10, 2018. [4]

External Sites

• Museum website.
• Official Senate Report, full text as above