The past few days have seen a group of articles here in D.C. about the horrible legacy of Jim Crow in Washington baseball. First, earlier this week, long-time Washington hand Dick Heller wrote a piece about the Griffith family's despicable legacy in the Washington Times. Then today, we had an essay in the Washington Post by Brad Snyder, author of Beyond The Shadow Of The Senators: The Untold Story Of The Homestead Grays And The Integration Of Baseball. Back over in the Times, Heller gives the book an unqualified thumbs up. Here's an excerpt:
Calvin Griffith, who assumed ownership of the team upon his Uncle Clark's death in 1955, confirmed that his family segregated black fans in the right-field pavilion. "That was because of the colored preachers coming in there and asking Mr. Griffith to put aside a section for the black people," Calvin recalled, respectfully referring to his uncle. "Mr. Griffith gave them practically down from first base to the right-field fence. That's what they wanted. They got what they asked for."
Well thanks for nothing, Calvin (later, in Minnesota, his bald racism would result in him having to trade Rod Carew to the California Angels). To be fair, it isn't as if racism in baseball suddenly ended in 1947 when Jackie Robinson took the field for the first time with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In fact, down in Vero Beach, the Spring Training home of the Dodgers, the team in baseball generally considered to be the most progressive in advancing the cause of integration, African-Americans were still regularly subjeced to incredible indignities. As Jane Leavy wrote in her excellent biography of Sandy Koufax, the stands, water fountains and bathroom facilities in Holman Stadium were still segregated as late as 1961 -- that was until a contingent of African-American players led by Tommy Davis confronted management.
