Ahead of #ConvergeSuperSaturday and the special airing of Converge Media’s Emmy-nominated film Reconciliation Tour on Saturday, October 26th at 9:30 pm on FOX 13 Seattle, Baseball Beyond Borders Founder Bookie Gates and Mariners Director of Community Relations Nova Newcomer joined Washington Sports Wrap host Alyssa Charlston to discuss the film and it’s impact. They spoke about the importance of baseball and the ways they’ve worked both individually and together the open doors and provide opportunities for youth of all backgrounds to participate.

“We recognized the need for extreme collaboration with how we see professional sports in a city like Jackson, Mississippi,” Gates said.

The film features interviews with Gates, current Mariners manager Dan Wilson, and John Perkins of the Perkins Foundation, as well as a number of the players and youth who were impacted by the trip. 

For Newcomer, Reconciliation Tour is an important piece on multiple levels.

“Not only is one of our pillars around advancing access to baseball and softball for all, but it’s also around advancing equity and justice. This is a baseball story, but what I really love about the Reconciliation Tour is that it connects the baseball players to other players in the country but also to that legacy and story about civil rights and activism,” Newcomer said. “It’s a story about how they can connect their leadership on the field to something off the field as well.”

Gates credited the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation with the inspiration behind choosing Jackson as the destination for the trip, saying that their interest in bringing baseball to the city aligned with mission in Seattle.

“We realized that this was a great opportunity to go down there, and also to help out during a humanitarian crisis,” Gates said.

You can watch the film in a special, commercial-free airing on FOX 13 Seattle this Saturday at 9:30 pm PST.

Don’t have FOX 13 Seattle where you live? Download the free FOX Local app on your smart TV or smartphone to watch Reconciliation Tour anywhere in the nation. It’s easy to download; just click here: bit.ly/watchfoxlocal

Photos by Jordan Somers on behalf of Converge Media