Baseball, Civil Rights and Reconciliation: Day 1 (Jackson, Mississippi)
The Baseball Beyond Borders Senior Division All-Star Team leads campers in stretches at the start of Day 1 of the camp they’re hosting at Jackson State University (All photos by Che’lon McLennan unless otherwise noted)
This cultural exchange was made possible through gracious support from Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream, Ezell’s Famous Chicken and Amazon.
Seattle’s own Baseball Beyond Borders kicked off a four-day trip through the South, beginning with a youth baseball clinic in Jackson, Mississippi. Hosted at Jackson State University in association with the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation, the clinic brought kids aged 9-18 to learn from the Baseball Beyond Borders Senior Division All-Star Team.
“It’s really incredible to see our kids out here teaching,” Bookie Gates, founder of Baseball Beyond Borders, said. “I also know our kids will learn something as well.”
In Seattle, Baseball Beyond Borders provides the opportunity for youth from low-income families to compete at a high level. This trip aims to bring that same opportunity to the youth in Jackson. The experience brings together ballplayers from Seattle and Jackson, with the vision to grow the game in Black communities and inspire a generation.
9:30 AM
The day began with a speech from Mariners legend Dan Wilson. Wilson spoke to the youth about his time with baseball, as well as the impact the sport can have on community. Below is a clip from his speech
Dan Wilson and Bookie Gates watch practice with other coaches and players from Baseball Beyond Borders. Wilson played 12 seasons for the Seattle Mariners and 14 total in the Major Leagues.
The camp began with stretching before the players split into five groups. Campers rotated between hitting, fielding, throwing and running stations while being coached by players from Baseball Beyond Borders. The interactions created many memorable moments, some of which can be seen below.
11 AM
The team took a guided tour of the Jackson State University campus, which included stops at the basketball arena, the “horseshoe”, and the memorial to the innocent, unarmed JSU students killed in the 1970 shooting by the Mississippi State Police.
The players from Baseball Beyond Borders take a guided tour of Jackson State University (Photo Vaughn Williams)
2:30 PM
After lunch, super-intern Vaughn was challenged by a camper to an arm wrestling match. After a heavily contested battle, Vaughn emerged victorious by a small margin.
Vaughn Williams is an intern with Converge Media. He’s filled a variety of roles, and features heavily in written content (Photo Ike Everard)
6:00 PM
The Kings took on the Jackson 96’ers, a local select team from the area. In a thrilling, extra-innings comeback, the Kings won 10-9. More photos from the game are below.
Both teams pose with umpires and coaches following the game, which featured a dramatic conclusion (Photo Omari Salisbury)
Next up on the schedule is day 2 of the camp, where the Kings will continue to teach and learn from the campers. After that, it’s on to Montgomery, Alabama where they’ll engage with the history and culture of the area while continuing their experience of education and reconciliation.
Converge Crew
Converge is producing a short documentary on the trip, taking a look at the journey of education and reconciliation as well as the impact of the game of baseball. Be on the lookout for the release in the coming months.
