Walt Harrison with "Only the Ball Was White": A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams

In honor of Black History Month, the Presidents' College is teaming up with the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement to invite all current faculty, students, and staff to take a special course free of charge: "Only the Ball Was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams" We hope you'll join Walt Harrison, as he leads us through the history of the Negro Leagues and its major figures, with his special interview with Josh Bell, first baseman for the Washington Nationals, rounding out the experience. Wednesdays: Feb. 2, 9, 16: 7 p.m.-8:15 p.m., via Zoom

Course Description: Baseball both reflects American culture and helps to shape it. Black Americans have been playing baseball as long as White Americans, but only recently have their experiences and records been captured for a broader base of Americans. This course invites you to learn about the origins of Black baseball in the 19th century, its widespread popularity from 1920 into the 1950s, and its decline after the Major Leagues were integrated. Driven from Major League Baseball in the 1880s by the Jim Crow spirit that was a reaction to Reconstruction after the Civil War, Black Americans founded professional teams and leagues of their own.

We will discuss owners like Rube Foster, Effa Manley, Cumberland Posey, and Gus Greenlee, and the players who brought joy, passion, and laughter to Black Americans all over the country. We will look at some of the greatest players ever—either White or Black—Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, and others. And we will end with the legendary Major Leaguers who came from the Negro Leagues in the late 1940s and early 1950s: Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roy Campanella, and Don Newcombe. Harrison's interview with Josh Bell, first baseman for the Washington Nationals, will bring our consideration of the role of race in baseball to the present day. 

This course is designed for anyone, from those who have studied Black culture and Black baseball, to those who are simply curious. Join us and learn about a baseball universe you may not know much about yet but will never forget once you have taken the course.

WALTER HARRISON is President Emeritus of the University of Hartford. He served as president from 1998 until 2017, a period of growth, vitality, and transformation of the University. As the longest serving president in the University’s history, he oversaw a dramatic improvement in the University’s financial stability, a near tripling of the University’s endowment, and a transformation and re-design of the University’s campus, constructing or renovating 17 different University buildings during his tenure. Most importantly, he oversaw a significant growth in the undergraduate and graduate student population, new professional programs in architecture and the health sciences, and a noticeable improvement in the rigor and quality of the University’s academic offerings. The University’s libraries are now named for him, to recognize his devotion to the life of the mind.

JOSHUA EVAN BELL is an American baseball player in the Major Leagues, currently manning first base for the Washington Nationals. Bell made his debut in 2016, after the Pittsburgh Pirates offered him a record signing bonus. He played in the Pirates from 2016 through 2020, and was named an All-Star in 2019. The Pirates traded Bell to the Nationals in the 2020 season, since which he continues to distinguish himself. His Major League career-to-date record includes a batting average of .261, 137 homeruns and 397 runs batted in.  

To register free of charge ($60 value), please click here and enter your affiliation.

To see other Presidents' College offerings, please visit our online catalogue.

Just a reminder: faculty and staff are eligible to take one Presidents' College lecture for free every semester, or to receive a one-session discount ($20) for a longer course. If you're interested, please contact Louise Melanson at: melanson@hartford.edu, 860 768-4495. 

We hope you'll take up this opportunity and spread the word! While our traditional Presidents' College audience is educated retirees, we're now offering a lot more courses on Zoom and in the late afternoon or evening to allow those still in the working world to participate.