[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE BIGGEST LITTLE LEAGUERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TIM SCOTT

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 23, 2011

  Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, in the heart of Charleston, 
South Carolina, lies Cannon Street; it's a modest street spanning just 
a few city blocks. However, within its history lies the story of what 
Dr. Creighton Hale, the former CEO of little league baseball, called 
``the most significant amateur team in baseball history.''
  In 1955, the area surrounding this street was one of economic blight 
and social unease. In an effort to keep kids out of trouble and teach 
skills that only team sports can provide, the local YMCA organized four 
little league teams for the neighborhood kids. The Cannon Street YMCA 
All-Stars would advance to the Charleston City Little League playoff 
games, but would never be given the opportunity to earn a spot in the 
Little League World Series. It was not because they were unworthy 
players or because they could not afford to go. The color of their skin 
stifled the dreams of these twelve-year-old boys.
  The Charleston playoff games were boycotted in 1955 to preserve 
racial segregation. Because teams again refused to play against them, 
the Cannon Street All-Stars advanced past the state and regional 
playoffs. The National Little League invited the All-Stars to the 
Little League World Series as special guests; they could not compete 
for the title because technically they hadn't played their way to the 
championships. They returned to Charleston, dismayed and disappointed.
  As children, they embodied the very characteristics that organized 
sports aim to impart--teamwork, courage and respect. As adults they 
have worked in productive and valuable careers such as architecture, 
law enforcement and education. As they have grown older, they are now 
volunteers in their communities--giving back, yet again. While they 
never had the opportunity to compete, their story has demonstrated 
where we have come from as a nation.
  Last month members of my staff had the opportunity to meet several of 
the original Cannon Street Little Leaguers who traveled to Washington, 
D.C. to be recognized at Nationals Stadium before the Nationals-
Phillies game. Their story remains powerful more than 65 years later, 
and I know my staff will never forget having the opportunity to meet 
them.
  Today, the neighborhood that encompasses Cannon Street has developed 
into an integral part of the Charleston education and science 
community. It is home to a number of colleges and universities and a 
world-class research hospital. The boys of the Cannon Street Little 
League Team are men who through their careers and service to the 
community have become assets to their neighborhoods. In spite of the 
adversity they encountered and the challenges they confronted, these 
young people illustrated to the world the absurdity of segregation and 
the hatred inherent in racism.
  In the fifty-five years since they were excluded from competing to 
earn a spot at the Little League World Series in their own right, 
America has matured. I'd like to believe that a handful of twelve-year-
olds contributed to our maturity.
  It is with great admiration that I share their story and my respect 
for these men with you, my colleagues.

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