Pensacola dedicating historical marker to Jaycees 1955 Little League baseball team
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Pensacola will celebrate the dedication of the Pensacola Jaycees 1955 Little League Baseball Team’s historic marker on May 23, according to a release from the city.
The ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m. at Community Maritime Park.
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HISTORIC MARKER LOCATION:
The 1955 Pensacola Jaycees was the first all-Black Little League Baseball team to compete against an all-white team during segregation, which marked the first integrated Little League Baseball game in a southern state.
The Jaycees formed in 1954. The same year the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in public schools and public facilities unconstitutional.
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By 1955, the Jaycees became the Northwest Florida Little League Champions after five all-white teams refused to play them. The Jaycees made it to the Florida Little League Championship. The team played against the Orlando Kiwanis, but lost.
“Although the Jaycees were eliminated that day, the impact of that game lives on. Two teams of children went out on the field, stood tall, and bravely played the game they loved,” a Pensacola release said. “In a state plagued by separation, these teams managed to bring people together in a way never before seen in the Deep South. The Pensacola Jaycees, along with the Orlando Kiwanis brought integration to southern youth sports.”
Learn more about the Jaycees on Major League Baseball’s website.
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