Breaking the color barrier and living the American Dream. A Letter from Joe Black

My dad wrote to many ex-ball players asking for advice to give to young kids about playing the game.  Every week, we would receive letters and autographs that we couldn't wait to share. Dad took these letters and wrote two books full of tips; both chock-full of with advice from former pros. After time passed Dad gave me the collection of baseball cards, articles, and memorabilia he had acquired. Included in the assortment were copies of the books he had written. I'm sad to say I packed them up and stored them in my basement for years. Recently we had some work done to our home and while reorganizing, I rediscovered my dad's collection.  Within it I found an inspirational letter from a man that portrays a story of segregation in America, and how he succeeded in obtaining his American Dream.  This letter was from former Brooklyn Dodger, Joe Black.

Joe Black joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952 after playing one season in the minors.  Prior to this season Black served in the army and attended Morgan State University. He also played seven seasons in the Negro Leagues for the Baltimore Elite Giants with future teammate Roy Campanella. In 1952 Black had an incredible season winning fifteen games with fifteen saves and won the league’s rookie of the year award. To everyone's surprise Black (who was a reliever) was announced as the starter for game one of the 1952 World Series against the New York Yankees. He pitched a complete game giving up two runs and six hits to an all-white Yankees club, whose lineup carried legendary players like Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, and a young Mickey Mantle. Black was the first ever African American pitcher to win a World Series game. The Dodgers lost the series with Black recording a loss in game four and game seven. His career was never the same after the season. Forever memorialized in baseball history, Black went on to be a successful businessman and continued to break the color barrier by becoming the first African American vice president of Greyhound.  (A transportation company)

Even though Jackie Robinson had broken through baseball's color barrier five years earlier, life wasn't easy for Joe Black. In a time where segregation still existed in many parts of the country, racism and hate still plagued many African American ball players trying to break into the big leagues. Although Joe died in 2002 I would like to thank him for taking the time to write this letter.

Stay in school and master the class work. Practice and play baseball as often as your spare time will allow. To any youth I would quote, "Dream or reach for the stars, but remember that you must prepare yourself through study or practice if you want your dream to come true.'"

Baseball taught me the true meaning of America, the "Land of Opportunity." As a young boy growing up in Plainfield, NJ, on Sundays I would go to the local parks and watch my father and Uncle Frank play for the Plainfield Colored Stars. I combined the action from these games with the colorful descriptions of Major League Baseball games, via the radio and began to visualize myself playing the game in a competitive environment. Baseball really consumed my dreams when I discovered the excitement of the World Series in 1934.  I was a confident ten year old when I announced to my mother that, one day; I was going to play in the World Series. My mother smiled and said: "That's good." Every day my actions were geared toward baseball. In summer months my friends and I would play in the streets or on empty lots. When I wasn't playing with them I was throwing tennis balls against the walls of buildings and fielding the bouncing balls. In the winter I would throw snowballs at cans or telephone poles. Time passed and God was kind to me and he provided me with the intellect and agility to make the high school varsity baseball team for 3 years. Baseball and school were fun until my senior year when a baseball scout broke my heart with this cold, but honest statement; "Colored guys don't play in the big leagues." Those words pierced my heart, and this six-foot, two hundred-lb athlete was reduced to a crying little boy as I ran home to hide from my shattered dream. I could not believe that an American could not play America's number one past time, baseball. I hated white people for promoting the lie, "Sweet land of liberty" and "With freedom and justice for all." It's a terrible thing to hate, but with the love and strength from my mother and encouragement from the professors at Morgan State College, I was able to overcome those feeling of inferiority.

I moved onward and upward in the educational world and jubilantly played baseball in the Negro National League with the Baltimore Elite Giants, and as they say "The Lord works in mysterious ways." In October of 1952 I was standing at attention in Ebbets Field as the words to the Star Spangled Banner filled the air and I said silently, "Thank God for these United States where you do have a chance to make your dreams come true. “You see, I was ready to be the starting pitcher for the Dodgers in the 1952 World Series

                                                                                                                           - Joe Black                                                                                                                     

If you enjoyed this letter and want to learn more about Joe Black and his life I highly recommend reading Joe Black: More Than A Dodger, co-written by his daughter Martha Jo Black and Chuck Schoffner

 

Black, Martha Jo, and Chuck Schoffner. Joe Black: More than a Dodger. Academy Chicago Publishers, 2015.