Joshua Gibson and Shirley Povich

Joshua Gibson and Shirley Povich. April 5, 1939. , On the last night of Spring Training 1939, The Orlando Inter-Racial Committee hosted a Negro Leagues exhibition game between the Newark Eagles and the Homestead Grays. This is the first known instance that African-Americans played at Tinker Field. Both Black and White fans attended the game in segregated areas of the Stadium. , , The lineups for the Eagles and Grays boasted seven future National Baseball Hall of Farmers including Buck Leonard, Ray Brown, “Mule” Suttles, Willie Wells and Josh Gibson, the”Babe Ruth” of Negro baseball. , , Beloved Washington sportswriter Shirley Povich and legendary Major League pitcher Walter Johnson sat together in the stands and were so impressed with Josh Gibson and the teams’ superior level of play that Povich used his nationally syndicated column to advocate for the inclusion of African-Americans in Major League Baseball. The game attracted national attention and played a significant role in promoting the idea of integrating Major League Baseball. , Josh Gibson is regarded by many as the greatest power hitter of his era and is credited with a 580-foot home run in Yankee Stadium. In 1972, Gibson became the second player from the Negro Leagues Inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame. , , As a sports columnists for the Washington Post for 75 years, Shirley Povich continued advocating for civil rights until he passed away in 1998 at the age of 92.