[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 35 (Friday, February 25, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE PAGE FENCE GIANTS BASEBALL TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 25, 2022

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Page Fence 
Giants, an all-black baseball team that was founded in 1894 in Adrian, 
Michigan. At a time when Jim Crow laws swept the nation and racial 
segregation largely divided sports, the all-black Page Fence Giants 
persevered, ultimately claiming their place in history in the Michigan 
Baseball Hall of Fame.
  The team was founded by Bud Fowler and Grant ``Home Run'' Johnson, 
both of whom went on to play for the Giants. The team was a knockout, 
winning over 100 games in each of their four seasons. And in 1897 they 
went on a winning streak, claiming 82 consecutive victories. The team's 
four-year run was an early success towards integration--but was phased 
out of the league decades before Jackie Robinson's 1947 debut.
  The Page Fence Giants traveled around the Midwest and Canada on a 60-
foot railcar. While the team was celebrated and welcomed in some 
communities, they were discriminated against and disparaged in others, 
often barred from eating at the local restaurants or sleeping in the 
hotels. This railcar provided the basic necessities for the ball 
players when they were unwelcome to stay or dine in the whites-only 
establishments.
  One of the full-time cooks on the train was William Wendell Gaskin, 
who is believed to be Lansing-born. Gaskin traveled with the team, 
cooking meals and even joining the team in a couple of games as the 
Giants' pitcher.
  Last year, on June 19, our very own Lansing Lugnuts paid tribute to 
the Page Fence Giants by wearing historically accurate black and 
burgundy Giants jerseys.
  While the Giants dissolved after four solid seasons in 1898, their 
contributions to sports and to Michigan's history will be forever 
remembered.

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