The Black Baseball Initiative

No. The exhibition is included with Museum admission.

The Souls of the Game, a title that pays tribute to W.E.B. Du Bois’s seminal 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk, will explore the Black baseball experience of the men, women and children who were and are an integral part of our National Pastime.

Subtitled Voices of Black Baseball, the exhibit will highlight first-person accounts by the many individuals whose Black baseball experiences shaped them, their community, baseball and America at large. 

The Museum has had an exhibit focused on the history of Black baseball since the 1970s. The last major update took place in 1997, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. More than 25 years later, there is new research, new historic moments and a different perspective on Black baseball history, all of which made it important to create this new exhibit.

Yes. Our curatorial staff worked with five subject matter experts who served as Curatorial Consultants on the project. Additionally, we formed an Advisory Committee of nearly 30 prominent people in the game and throughout the Museum industry who lent their expertise and experience to the project. The advisors included Hall of Famers like Ken Griffey Jr. and Ozzie Smith, former players like Dave Stewart and Adam Jones, executives like MLBPA Director Tony Clark and agent Lonnie Murray, Museum experts like Damion Thomas of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Bob Kendrick of the Negro League Baseball Museum and members of the baseball family like April Brown and Tony Reagins of MLB.

MEET THE TEAM

Yes. In addition to the new exhibit, updates have been made to several other areas including Taking the Field, which focuses on 19th century baseball, Whole New Ballgame which covers the last several decades in baseball, our art gallery called Art of the Game, Autumn Glory, which focuses on the World Series and Shoebox Treasures, our exhibit about baseball cards. Additional updates will continue to be made.

The Black Baseball Initiative is more than a new exhibit in Cooperstown. Here are a few of the  outreach programs that are having a positive impact on communities:

ONLINE INTERACTIVE

We have launched an online interactive for elementary and middle school kids.

VISIT THE SITE

SCHOOL RESOURCE KITS

We have already shipped more than 200 School Resource Kits to schools around the country to help deliver our Civil Rights curriculum within a classroom setting.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SCHOOL RESOURCE KITS

Visit our baseball and Civil Rights timeline.

LEARN MORE

Read stories that highlight the lives and experiences of Black ballplayers. 

EXPLORE THE STORIES

Photography and video recording is encouraged throughout the Museum. Feel free to text, post to social media or access audio, video and more information on our website during your visit. For the best service, connect to our free Wi-Fi during your visit. Tag @baseballhall on X and Instagram so we can see what you post. We may even share it.

The exhibit is not intended to be a complete history of Black baseball. Instead, it focuses on the experience of Black people in baseball, from the perspective of the players, coaches, managers, umpires, executives and fans who lived it. There are many other stories told throughout the Museum and more continue to be added on a regular basis.

YES! You can contribute to ensure we can continue the Initiative’s educational outreach programs.

DONATE NOW

The Black Baseball Initiative is made possible by the Yawkey Foundation with additional support from Bill Janetschek in honor of his siblings, Robert and Ann, the Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation and the Bisignano Family.

In recognition of the Yawkey Foundation’s support, The Souls of the Game is located in the Yawkey Gallery.

HEAR FROM THOSE WHO MADE THE BLACK BASEBALL INITIATIVE POSSIBLE