NOVEMBER 5
1945
HARLEM
MEETING

WHAT MIGHT
HAVE BEEN


FORMED 1945 HARLEM

Many things happened

in 1945 they do every

year notably in 1945

World War II ended

up in Harlem things

happened like music

groups formed one for

example is The Ravens

their debut album was

" Birds Of A Feather"

Which brings us to today's Black Box which is not about  music or the Ravens. But most definitely about Harlem. Probably best  called a Harlem Fantasy that took place on November 5, 1945. Still it  does lead to an interesting WHAT IF exploration.

Little remembered.

Indeed guaranteed no one reading today's  Box ever heard of the meeting of The Negro Leagues that took place that  November day up in Harlem. It should be remembered if not celebrated as  maybe the pivotal moment in the entire history of the Negro Leagues.  Because November 5, 1945 highlighted both the promise and the tragedy  of the Negro Leagues wrapped up in a single meeting little noted or  remembered.

Putting this meeting in perspective it followed the initial  signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn Dodgers to a minor league  contract. Rescuing him or stealing him from the Kansas City Monarchs as  you prefer. What we fail to appreciate today is that from the moment  the Dodgers first showed interest in Robinson not only was he a center  of attention in Black and White America. Even more Robinson at once  began to symbolically characterize the powerful change in Baseball then  truly America's pastime, about to take place.

Thought lost in the mists of history the Negro League team  owners were in the middle of that whirlwind. From their perspective  they had as much to lose as anyone. As much to lose as most African  Americans hailed the integration of Baseball. Those issues are  intimately connected. Because as Black players moved into the Majors so  would Black fans shift their allegiance to the Majors. An inevitable  march.

Making it tougher on the Negro Leagues it was never just  about Baseball. The entire landscape of Integration or the lack of  Integration in American society was taking place as theatre for all  African Americans on the Baseball Diamond.

So as Jackie Robinson's  expected entry into the Majors would inevitably, it was correctly  assumed lead to many other Black players becoming Major Leaguers -  Black fans would flock in ever greater numbers to watch the best Black  players and watch Integration take place before their eyes. For all of  Them.

The Negro League team owners knew they would be DOOMED  unless they could agree on a plan to save their League. Or so they  wanted to believe at the time. That there was a chance of surviving and  prospering in an age steamrollering toward at least superficial  Integration. This is what led to the "historic" Harlem meeting November  5, 1945.

The owners gathered ironically at the urging of a White MLB  owner Clark Griffith of the Washington Senators. There was a  group of White owners and others led notably by Griffith who wanted to  preserve the Negro Leagues for two inter-related reasons. 1) as an  alternative to truly Integrating Baseball, and 2) because Negro League  teams were a very good source of income for many White owners like  Griffith who rented their stadiums to Negro League teams who played in  their cities.

At this November meeting and other meetings precipitated by  it the single most significant step the Negro League owners took which  was to adopt EXACTLY word for word by laws, contracts, the reserve  clause, etc., etc. of the Majors attempting to become a MIRROR image of  the Major  Leagues. It was vainglory on their part to mimic the White League in  the hope of being embraced call it adopted by Major League Baseball.

The reality was MLB, its Commissioner at the time so called HAPPY Chandler and most of the White owners if anything were more  horrified by the idea of making the NEGRO Leagues a partner to them or  even a minor league for Baseball as the Negro Leagues proposed, than  they were fearful of individual Black players being hired.

It was a Fool's Journey

For the Negro Leagues to believe that Major League Baseball would embrace them to keep Black players playing Black baseball. A  'perfect' example of circular logic proving worthless. Yes it was  LOGICAL if you believe their was intelligent or sincere interest in the  position of Major League Baseball. BUT THESE GUYS WERE PRACTICALLY ALL  BIG  LEAGUE (SIC) RACISTS.  They wanted NOTHING to do with African  Americans. Therefore a true partnership with the NEGRO Leagues was  preposterous.

But again in fairness to the African American owners of   Negro League Baseball. They could ONLY grasp at straws. They knew they  were DOOMED no matter what so why not swing for the fences and hope for  a miracle.

Let's compare their situation

to Native Americans

It did not matter in the late 1700s and throughout the 1800s  what the American Indians did nor how much they adopted the life styles  or religions of the Pale Faces nor how low they bowed they were DOOMED  because Other Americans wanted all that land and the "best" thing to do  was take it all and completely.

It called the PowerFULL vs the PowerLESS

the game is over before it begins

it's a shut OUT every time

Back to Baseball.

YES if we lived on a different planet with very different  basic rules you can hypothesize a very good scenario in which the Negro  Leagues would have remained WHOLE and even PROSPERED by become  "integrated" (interesting use of the word here) into the Major League  Baseball universe. Keeping their identity and their audience as players  Black and White moved among both and creating a super level of Baseball  in America.

Do we have to tell you

WHY that was even

more FAR more

DANGEROUS

than Robinson

might ever be

do we really

God help u

if we do

HINT

Harlem's Ravens

1945 album is titled ?

see album cover above

MUSICAL COMEDY CIRCA 1939