Photo: NEGRO LEAGUES BASEBALL MUSEUM
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt and U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver announced legislation to mint a new coin to commemorate the Centennial of the Negro Leagues Baseball is on its way to the President’s desk. U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, sponsor of the Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, announced on Tuesday the measure passed the Senate.
The bill will direct the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins and 400,000 half-dollarcoins in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Negro National League which was created in 1920 during a meeting of team owners at a YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri.
Funds will be distributed to the National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
“The incredible ability, excitement, and sportsmanship that baseball icons like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Buck O’Neil brought to the game helped break down the barriers of segregation,” said Blunt. “This commemorative coin will honor the leagues’ players and support the National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s great work to preserve the legacy of African-American baseball and its impact on our nation’s history. I’m glad we were able to get this bill through Congress and to the President’s desk as we mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the leagues.”
“As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Negro Leagues, I’m ecstatic we were able to get this bill safely across home plate and on its way to the President’s desk,” said Cleaver. “Not only will this honor the legends of the Negro Leagues—some of the greatest ballplayers to ever step on a field—but it will also raise significant funding for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City so that future generations can learn about the players, the history of the Negro Leagues, and their significance to the civil rights movement in America.”
U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (Va.) and U.S. Representative Steve Stivers (Ohio) co-sponsored the bill.
