Bill Nelson: “I, along with Senators Reid, Leahy, Specter, Obama, Clinton, Brownback, and Martinez, have proudly submitted a…”

“I, along with Senators Reid, Leahy, Specter, Obama, Clinton, Brownback, and Martinez, have proudly submitted a concurrent resolution honoring the Negro Baseball Leagues and their players by encouraging the recognition of Negro Leaguers Recognition Day May 20 of each year. My relationship with the Negro Leagues players began when I successfully worked to persuade Major League Baseball to give pension benefits to former players. In 2004, Major League Baseball agreed to put up $1 million for monthly payments to 27 former Negro Leaguers. Last year, I worked with the families of several of the most notable Negro Leaguers to pass a Senate resolution designating May 20, 2006--the date on which the Negro National League played its first game--as Negro Leaguers Recognition Day. I am submitting a resolution honoring the Negro Leaguers again this year--in cooperation with Representative Cohen in the House--to demonstrate the support in both Chambers for recognizing Negro Leaguers Recognition Day on May 20 of each year. I hope that this will be a day when Negro Leaguers and their families will return to the ballpark to be honored for their historic contributions to the game of baseball and to bridging racial divisions in our country. Since 1885, long before Major League Baseball was integrated in 1947, African-Americans organized their own professional leagues. These leagues did not succeed because of racial prejudice and lack of adequate financial backing.”