Ah, the Jerry Malloy Baseball Conference... Let me work on establishing some wonderfully joyful channels in my brain, rather than focusing on the insanity that seems to want to pervade!
The Society of American Baseball Research Conference was June 13th - 15th in Newark, New Jersey. It was truly a phenomenal conference. I enjoyed every minute of it. Maybe I'll see you there next year as the conference moves to Detroit.
I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the men and woman who continue to work tirelessly to shine light into the dark places where we have buried much of this countries history. It's not an easy job to unearth and chronicle some of this history, like that of the 1889 Cuban Giants (none of whom were Cuban); nor to talk about the rise of the Cubans from 1880-1885. I'm always triggered by the enthusiasm of these "historians" to ask the questions: why and how?
I always find the same answers. In detail, these men and women can articulate their journey from point A to B.
Much the details of their journeys are different. Where they were, who inspired them, the miles they have traveled and the many libraries and stadiums they have visited. But it's not in the details of their journey where my heart finds resonance. Because the devil is truly in the details. 
It's in every twist and turn, in every hurdle and obstacle that falls in the way. It's in the absence of a solid trail and in the void created by inattention. But the beauty, the resonance, is in our search to reclaim our common humanity by rebuilding our common history, by filling the void... story by story.
SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference was no different. The students of the Bowser School for Excellence in Newark provided conference participants some of the best of what Newark has to offer.
A corp of bright young citizens provided a performance complete with original scripting and music. They designed and produced a set, accompanying multi-media presentation, and original music that would be the envy of Kanye and Jay-Z.
It was a performance that provided a view of a reality of our schools that we don't get to see often and which the media does not usually report. The Bowser School students and staff demonstrated the kind of results they achieve through their hard work and dedication. They wove together children's learning that included a mastery of public speaking, language development, history and self discipline. They did all this while having fun. And believe me, we had fun with them. I feel privileged to have been a witness.
Thank You Bowser School. You honor your namesake as well as all of the men and women of the Negro Leagues you portrayed.
This one was quite special to me. He did an awesome job!
For more information about SABR and the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference follow these links:
2 comments:
Thanks for such a beautiful and heartfelt review, Belinda. It was a wonderful conference!
Your storyline and photographs brought tears to my eyes for all the hard work we do, with the kids capturing the essence of our mission statement. Pictures are truly worth a 1,000 words. You made your father, my mentor, proud. Larry Lester
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