A Home Run for Cincinnati

For the second year in a row, Cincinnati hosted the Gillette Civil Rights Game. The Civil Rights game was founded in 2007 as a way to honor the activists and leaders who have made significant changes in our nation, as well as the role of baseball in breaking barriers both on and off the playing field. The weekend’s festivities included a roundtable discussion on civil rights and sports, a youth baseball summit, the MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon, and three great games against the St. Louis Cardinals. To top it all off, the Cincinnati Reds are now in first place in their division!

But the weekend was more than just fun and games. The roundtable, “Baseball and the Civil Rights Movement” was something akin to a celebratory challenge. The panel was moderated by Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree and included such notables as Joe Morgan, Zina Garrison, Marvin Lewis, Barry Larkin, Reggie Williams, and Michele Jones. And last but not least, the legendary Hank Aaron was on hand to make the closing remarks.

In the midst of the celebration of the achievements of Jackie Robinson and other activists, the panelists acknowledged that as a nation we still have a long way to go before we achieve a truly level playing field. Hall of Famer Joe Morgan was a part of the “Big Red Machine” and is now back with the Reds working in community outreach. Morgan reminded us that the game of baseball can truly change lives and urged the audience to support youth baseball initiatives in our communities. Former Bengals’ linebacker Reggie Williams reaffirmed the position of athlete as activist by voicing his critique of the Arizona immigration law. Even though each panelist brought a unique perspective, they all shared the same sentiment that we all have an opportunity to create change in our communities.
The audience for the roundtable was a diverse mix of white and black, young and old. The audience was also a reminder of how far we have come as a city. In some ways, the residual effect of the social unrest of 2001 still hangs over the city; however, the roundtable was an important reminder that there is much to be learned from engaging in the difficult conversations about race and inequity. Conversations about the past are powerful for what they can teach us about the here and now. Jackie Robinson once said that “the right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time,” and his words are as true now as they were then. So in the spirit of Jackie Robinson, let’s do our part to level the playing field.