Daytona Beach, FL – Wrapping up the Barrier Breakers Series last Friday night, it’s just the beginning of a grand slam partnership between the African American Entrepreneurs Association and professional baseball team the Daytona Tortugas.
The 2022 summer season of monthly Barrier Breakers events has showcased some of Daytona’s most notable African Americans, paying homage to their lasting contributions in history. Among those highlighted have been both Mary McLeod Bethune and the Tortugas’ home ballpark namesake, Jackie Robinson.
In his 15th season with the organization, Jim Jaworski, general manager for the Daytona Tortugas has been especially proud to help bring the Barrier Breakers Series to life in conjunction with the AAEA in his hometown of Daytona Beach, as one of the many community events they spotlight throughout the year.
“Anytime we look at any of our partnerships, it’s about what makes sense and how can we can we continue to do things at the ballpark, but also in the community. Yeah, we’re about baseball and we’re a baseball team, but it’s bigger than that,” said Jaworski.
“In that partnership with AAEA, we can do things together, continue to do things together, tell the story of Jackie Robinson and more,” he said.
It was an exciting close to the Barrier Breakers 2022 series as DeLand’s American Legion Post Commander Reverend Willie Branch, Jr. threw out a first pitch on behalf of the AAEA.
“We’re a predominantly Black (Post), founded in 1946, but the American Legion wouldn’t give them a charter because they were Black,” shared Branch, who says they finally received their charter in 1954.
With a Tuskegee Airman among his post’s original members, Branch was happy to throw out the pitch for the All-American sport.
“It makes me real proud,” he said. “We need to come together in peacetime and not wait for something horrific to happen for us to come together. Why can’t we come together and have fun?”
Watching from the sidelines, AAEA Founder and CEO Leslie Giscombe has been pleased to have the organization take part in the unique series of events.
“This is the final night of the Barrier Breakers and it’s so important because it’s an initiative that the minor league started I would say to get more African-Americans involved at the fields,” said Giscombe.
“Especially at this field I think it’s special because this is Jackie Robinson’s ballpark. That’s a lot of history we’re taking advantage of and we’re not leveraging as we should in the City of Daytona,” he said.
“They’re really excited about this first year and we have plans for years to come. It doesn’t get any more historic.”
Giscombe and Community Development Director Maurice Myrick also had the opportunity to meet George R. Bates, who shared a photograph from his time as a batboy for baseball legend Jackie Robinson as part of ‘Kelly Field’ night.
Snowbirds, the Bates family lived in Daytona Beach each winter and at 12 years old, the Connecticut teen was in awe of game of baseball. His time spent on the field was captured by his father and forever preserved in the National Baseball Hall of Fame as some of the first known footage of Jackie Robinson while he played for the Montreal farm team.
“I was here in 1946 for spring training with the Montreal Royals, and I was batboy for a couple of games with Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers,” said Bates proudly, surrounded by his half-brother Donald Bates and his own son, Bill Bates.
“It was already my favorite team from back in Connecticut where I was, you know? And I was just a kid. I was tickled to be here to see the spring training game and then me and my brother, we weren’t in school, so they grabbed us to be batboys to start with,” he said before being recognized during Friday night’s game.
As a leading liaison between African American entrepreneurs and businesses and the community, the collaboration with the Daytona Tortugas is about more than baseball according to Maurice Myrick.
It’s about connecting the community and creating an awareness of the assets Daytona Beach has to offer, while showcasing the many family-friendly opportunities locally for residents to get involved, including the upcoming Family Fest on October 1st featuring a full day of free activities.
“We’ll start our day off at nine o’clock in the morning on Daytona International Speedway with over 60 volunteers and what we’re going to do is a big road cleanup. From the Speedway all the way to the beach,” shared Myrick.
“Following this we’re going to have a big Family Fest here at the Jackie Robinson Ballpark with food trucks, bounce houses, cotton candy, snow cones, you name it. We’ll even have bubbles for the little kids. Then to cap off the night we’ll have a movie night in the outfield. As we conclude everything with the Family Fest, everyone’s going to walk out here, find their seats and we’re going to watch “42” in the ballpark.”
The free community day of events is sponsored by the AAEA and partners. Proceeds from the raffles will go to the Jackie Robinson Foundation and in honor of colon cancer awareness, a donation will be made to the Chadwick Boseman family, as well.
For more details, visit www.AAEAFamilyFest.com.
