Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/06/22/i-wouldnt-wish-it-on-anyone-baseball-legend-reggie-jackson-describes-racism-early-in-career.html
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Too many people seem to think this sort of overt racism and segregation is a thing of the far past, but it isn’t, and people like Reggie Jackson telling their stories can help illustrate that. Jackson in 78 years old. He started his professional career in the minors in 1966. Of note is that that was two years after the Civil Rights Act was enacted, ending, on paper, segregation. But it was still happening for years afterwards.
Full disclosure: I had a Reggie Jackson baseball card when I was a kid. I was a fan.
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Kudos to whatever control room leader who decided not to censor that as it went out live. Bleeps or gaps would reduced the message from what it really was.
Because of who I am though, I watched a few times again, watching the body language of the other people. Guy on the far left felt at one point he should stop the talk, then changed his mind - good choice. Man next to Reggie on the right was boiling with anger under about 2:50. Man to his immediately left was a stew of emotions and I really felt it. I would have loved to see the next minute after…that had to be phenomenally moving to be front row to.
I really appreciate him going all out and honest. I hope this gets played, unaltered, a lot. He deserves it, and we should not hide from our history. It was terrible and we need to admit and understand it to prevent it (or slow it, as it seems right now) from happening again.
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Man, that was breathtaking in a literal sense. It’s important testimony. This happened within my dad’s life time. For others it happened in their lifetime. It happened within most other people’s grandparent’s lifetime. We want to white wash history like violent racism was from a long time ago, but it was within living memory. 
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Very timely reminder as we just lost Willie Mays this week (another baseball legend who started his career in the Negro leagues).
ETA: Regarding Mays, I love that the sitcom Bewitched gave him a cameo explaining the supernatural nature of his talent back in 1966 (when racial integration in professional sports was still controversial)…
Then, as now, witches seemed to be ahead of the curve when it came to inclusivity.
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Correction: it’s Rickwood Field
(Would have tagged the author of the post, but I don’t see how 
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I forgive him for trying to kill Queen Elizabeth. He was mind controlled by late real estate developer Victor Ludwig.
All kidding aside, I was blown away by Jackson speaking truth to power.
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Many MLB players have no-trade clauses in their contracts. In particular, the Boston Red Sox ends up as the focus in those clauses: cannot be traded to the Red Sox. Why? Even now, still, racist fans in Boston’s Fenway Park hurl slurs, drinks, and snacks at visiting and home team Black players. Other parks are also like that, but Fenway Park seems to be the worst. Search under “Fenway Park + racism” and the hits are endless. Here’s one article from two players, Black and White:
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That’s possible. I noticed his odd body language too. Or, he may have been stopped by the director/producer (earpiece), or decided to not follow said persons’ order to stop Reggie.
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I’d really like this to be the case.
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“Greatest nation on earth”, we keep getting told.
Cheers to Reggie (and millions of others) for reminding us of the truth, and for going through hell to make the nation less un-great.
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