early black

Black contributions to western culture through film and music also take center stage, spanning early Black western posters up to costumes designed by Antoinette Messam for the 2021 movie “The Harder They Fall,” which based its characters on the Black cowboys, lawmen and outlaws of the 19th century American West.

Returning to early Black American liberals allows us to envision what I call an “identity-aware” approach that recognizes history’s impact on the outcomes of various groups while lowering what philosopher Derrick Darby calls the “race-first” flag to build coalitions across racial and gender lines.

"Early Black liberals rejected pessimism and apathy. Studying their resolve can show us what it looks like to have hope in the face of setbacks and to relentlessly bear witness to the plight of the most vulnerable."

Ultimately, early Black liberals rejected pessimism and apathy.

Located on the Museum’s second floor in the Yawkey Gallery, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball will feature not only stories of early Black baseball, the Negro Leagues’ era, the complexities of reintegration and Robinson, but also will document how few Black players break into the big leagues today.