The Baltimore City Historical Society and The Village Learning Place present Baltimore History Evenings 2016.
Join us the third Thursday monthly from January to June for our exciting 2016 series. These free talks take place at The Village Learning Place, 2521 St Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Reception at 7:00 pm and the talks begin at 7:30 pm.
May 19, 2016: Brian C. Morrison presents Colored Teachers for Colored Schools: The Campaign for Control of Black Schools in Late-19th-Century Baltimore. Dr. Morrison has had a 30 year career as an educator in New York, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County. He is the founder and president of The William J. Watkins, Sr. Educational Institute working to ensure that all children, especially those in under-served and under-resourced communities, have access to and receive, the best education possible. Baltimore allowed African American children to enroll in the city’s public schools in 1867, but the schools for African American students were grossly inadequate. Baltimore’s religious, civic and political leaders fought to improve the conditions of the schools on many fronts.
June 16, 2016: Bob Luke discusses Integrating the Orioles: Baseball and Race in Baltimore. Bob Luke is the author of several books about baseball, including The Most Famous Woman in Baseball: Effa Manley, The Negro League, Willie Wells: “El Diablo” of the Negro Leagues, The Baltimore Elite Giants: Sport and Society in the Age of Negro League Baseball and his new book, Integrating the Orioles: Baseball and Race in Baltimore, in which Bob Luke shows how the struggle to integrate the Baltimore Orioles mirrored the fight for civil rights. The Orioles debuted in 1954, the same year the Supreme Court struck down public school segregation. As Baltimore experienced demonstrations, white flight and a 1968 riot, team integration came slowly. Black players, mostly outfielders, made cameo appearances as black fans stayed away in droves. The breakthrough came in 1968, with the arrival of a more enlightened owner and African-American superstar Frank Robinson. As more black players filled the roster, the Orioles dominated the American League from 1969 into the early 1980s.
