Honoring A Legend & A Life: Walter "Buck" Leonard & The Negro Baseball Leagues

"If there hadn't been a Walter "Buck" Leonard (1907-1997)... what wouldn't - have happened?" ...the integration of Black players into professional sports teams, an advancement of awareness of the need for social change...  

Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, Chair of Duke University's African & African American Studies Department and Jonathan Fox Hunter, grandson, historian and spokesperson for the Buck Leonard Museum & Foundation for Sports & Cultural Enrichment joined me on this episode to discuss the life and legacy of the pivotal yet mostly unknown figure in our American history.

Growing up in the Depression, young Buck Leonard began supporting his family at age 11 (when his father died) working for many years on the railroad and playing baseball in the community "sand lots."  He was discovered by a scout for the Negro Leagues - which formed in 1920. His hard work ethic and strong family values of dedication and integrity propelled him to the top of the leagues as a player, coach, treasurer, secretary and spokesperson himself for his peers. 

In this episode, Dr. Neal and Mr. Hunter detail the importance of the success of The Negro Leagues during these decades upon major league sporting teams from football, baseball, and basketball. The League revealed the buying power of Black America and the large buying power of the "underworld" of businesses who sold goods and tickets to ball games to Black Americans.  The successes of the Negro Leagues lead directly to the integration of Black players, then in later decades, players of all ethnicities.

The social standards of Jim Crowe during this time were further discussed and the gracious and respectful responses from Mr. Buck Leonard in a time of racial inequality and the struggle for equal rights filled his life. His legacy of role-model behavior to young players and leadership to his own peers lives today.

The Negro Leagues celebrate their centennial this year 1920-2020.  The life of Walter "Buck" Leonard (1907-1997) is honored in Rocky Mount, North Carolina where he lived. Today his home is a museum and on the national historic registry. The estate plans an expansion to include a library for disadvantaged youth in the future.