IV 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 701 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 25, 2012 Mr. Cleaver (for himself, Mr. Clay, Mr. Carnahan, Mrs. Hartzler, and Mr. Luetkemeyer) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources RESOLUTION Recognizing the teams and players of the Negro Baseball Leagues for their achievements, dedication, sacrifices, and contributions to both baseball and the Nation.

Whereas prior to 1947, Major League Baseball excluded African-Americans from playing professional baseball, but could not suppress their desire to play the sport; Whereas African-Americans began organizing their own professional baseball teams in 1885; Whereas 6 separate baseball leagues, known collectively as the Negro Leagues, were organized by African-Americans between 1920 and 1960; Whereas the Negro Leagues included exceptionally talented players who played the game at its highest level; Whereas on May 20, 1920, the Negro National League, the first successful Negro League, played its first game; Whereas the skills and abilities of players in the Negro Leagues contributed to the realization by Major League Baseball of the need to integrate African-Americans into the sport; Whereas Major League Baseball did not fully integrate until July 1959; Whereas the Negro Leagues and their players were extraordinarily successful and popular throughout the Nation before integration into Major League Baseball; Whereas the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, was founded in 1990, in honor of those individuals who played in the Negro Baseball Leagues as a result of segregation in the Nation; Whereas the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is the only public museum in the Nation that exists for the exclusive purpose of interpreting the experiences of the players in the Negro Leagues from 1920 through 1960; Whereas there remains a need to preserve the evidence of honor, courage, sacrifice, and triumph in the face of segregation of those African-Americans who played in the Negro Leagues; Whereas the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum seeks to educate a diverse audience through its comprehensive collection of historical materials, important artifacts, and oral histories of the participants in the Negro Leagues and the impact that segregation played in the lives of these individuals and their fans; and Whereas a great opportunity exists to use the invaluable resources of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to teach the Nation’s school children and others, through on-site visits, traveling exhibits, classroom curriculum, distance learning, and other educational initiatives: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes the teams and players of the Negro Baseball Leagues for their achievements, dedication, sacrifices, and contributions to both baseball and the Nation; (2)supports the designation of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, including the museums future and expanded exhibits, collections library, archives, artifacts, and education programs as America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; (3)supports the efforts of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to recognize and preserve the history of the Negro Leagues and the impact of segregation on the Nation; (4)recognizes that the continued collection, preservation, and interpretation of the historical objects and other historical materials held by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum enhances the knowledge and understanding of the experience of African-Americans during segregation; (5)asks all Americans to join in celebrating the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its mission of preserving and interpreting the legacy of the Negro Leagues; and (6)encourages present and future generations to understand the sensitive issues surrounding the Negro Leagues, how they helped shape the Nation and Major League Baseball, and how the sacrifices made by Negro League players helped make baseball America’s national pastime.