Righting a Wrong

They had the skills to play in the big leagues but were denied the chance because of their skin color. In a symbolic gesture of goodwill, Major League Baseball “drafted” 30 former Negro League players.

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Political Talk at the MLB Draft

At Major League Baseball’s Negro League draft, we asked players about civil rights in today’s world. It was clear most people in the room saw Barack Obama’s presumptive Democratic nomination for president as another major milestone for African-Americans.

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Bernie and Big Bertha

More than 50 years ago, Bernie Lee sold his car to buy a bass. He says it’s the best deal he’s ever made. He’s been strumming Big Bertha ever since. A car can take you around town, but his bass took Bernie around the world.

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The War at Home

At a time when people thought blacks lacked intelligence, skill, and courage, the Tuskegee Airmen proved them wrong — fighting the enemy overseas and racism at home.

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A True Renaissance Woman

Zora Neale Hurston is one of the preeminent writers of black literature. But she died broke and largely ignored in 1960. Now, the town of her birth brings the story of her life to the public.

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Roadside Works of Art

The Florida Highwaymen were 26 African-American artists who traveled the state in the ’50s and ’60s selling paintings along the roadside. Ignored at the time, today their works are highly sought-after collectibles.

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