KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Fans got a chance to come out to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Saturday to meet two Kansas City legends, former Chiefs wide receiver Danan Hughes and former Royals first baseman Willie Aikens.
The event was a part of the Kansas City Royals Foundation's free February campaign that gives visitors an opportunity to learn something new.
Bob Kendrick is the president of the Negro League Baseball Museum.
“The common thread that I hear from my guest when they come to visit this place is, ‘I didn’t know that,'” said Kendrick. “Night baseball started in the Negro League. I didn’t know that. Of course, you didn’t know. And as my late mother would say, you don’t know what you don’t know. And it’s so special that you have a place where you can actually come and learn something that is not in the pages of American history books.”
The event supports free February at the museum, allowing anyone with a will and a way to experience the timeline of baseball history. It gives those who may not otherwise have the ability to visit a chance to learn about the history of the league.
“What those people did paved the way for a person like myself as a Black man,” said Aikens. “Without the history of the Negro league who’s to say that we would have Black players now playing in the major league baseball period.”
Fans shared memories, took pictures, and got autographs from the two living legends. Experiencing history with those who have helped make it.
“If we don’t acknowledge a lot of our history, we’re going to be deemed to repeat it,” said Hughes.
The museum has extended hours for the duration of the month.
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