Baseball, Civil Rights and Reconciliation: Day 4 (Montgomery, Alabama)
The Seattle Kings met Anthony Ray Hinton, who served 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit (photo Che’lon McLennan)
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 is currently on a four-day trip through the South, which began 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.
Baseball is a very expensive sport to participate in at a high level and more and more Black children are being priced out of the game. 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.
Day four of the Baseball Beyond Borders trip through the South was one of the most impactful. The team visited the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum, which tells the story of slavery in great detail as well as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which lists the names of individuals who were lynched throughout American history. They also were graced by the presence of Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. Hinton spoke about forgiveness and love, a powerful message made more poignant by his experiences.
The final day of the trip also brought reflection, as members of the Kings program as well as us at Converge looked back on a truly remarkable experience.
9:30 AM
The team headed to the EJI’s Legacy Museum, a truly unique museum which presents an in-depth and impactful history of enslaved people in the United States. Many of the players were speechless at the information and imagery presented to them, engaging with the devastating history of our nation in a way few had experienced before.
The EJI Legacy Museum opened in 2018 and features a walk through the history of enslaved people and mass incarceration in the United States. It features over 11,000 square feet of powerful exhibitions (photo Ike Everard)
2:00 PM
The Kings arrived at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, where the names of over 4,000 victims of lynching are preserved on stone slabs. This experience truly brought to life the scale of the racial terrorism that was commonplace in the country for the first half of the 20th century.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was opened in 2018. It honors over 4,000 lynching victims, as well as countless others which went undocumented (photo Che’lon McLennan)
3:30 PM
In the National Memorial for Peace and Justice Center, the team met Anthony Ray Hinton. On death row for 30 years after being wrongfully convicted, Hinton told his story with patience and grace. He emphasized the value of forgivness, while pushing for change within the justice system. He warned of the dangers the system presents, especially to Black males.
The Kings met Anthony Ray Hinton, who served over 30 years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. The speech was powerful and made a visible impact on many of the Kings players (photo Che’lon McLennan)
4:30 PM
Members of the Kings and Converge Media reflected on their experiences throughout the trip. These conversations will appear in our upcoming film about the journey.
The final day of the trip was a truly memorable experience and an impactful note to end what was an incredible four-day journey. The themes of reconciliation and education ran strong, and the lessons and emotions felt will not be forgotten.
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.
