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A poignant visit at the Kansas City, MO Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

The Museum at 18th & Vine Home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO.
Tom Wilmer
The Museum at 18th & Vine Home of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a visit with Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Back in the latter 19th century, African American athletes often played on baseball teams alongside whites. But segregation took an ugly turn in the dawning days of the 20th century and black players were barred through Jim Crow laws.

Undaunted, black teams were formed across America. The first organized league structure was conceived in Kansas City in 1920, and thus was born the Negro National League, followed by eastern and southern leagues.

The decline of the Negro Leagues began in 1945 when the Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson, a player for the Kansas City Monarchs.

Entry to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO
Tom Wilmer
Entry to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO

The Bob Kendricks interview--previously broadcast on NPR affiliate KCBX and posted as a Journeys podcast and is shared again as a timeless, "best-of-the-best" Journeys of Discovery show spanning the past 33 years.

Funding for Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer is provided by the Foundation at Hearst Castle

Funding for Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer provided by the Foundation at Hearst Castle
Foundation at Hearst Castle
Funding for Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer provided by the Foundation at Hearst Castle

Conserving the past to inspire future generations of dreamers and preserving the legacy of Julia Morgan.

Experience authentically curated historical events that recreate what it was like to be a guest of William Randolph Hearst. Learn more about becoming a supporting member of the Foundation at Hearst Castle.

Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer is featured on the NPR Podcast Directory and the NPR One app.
NPR.ORG
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer is featured on the NPR Podcast Directory and the NPR One app.

You are invited to subscribe to the six time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryApple Podcast, the NPR One App  Stitcher.com and more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
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