It would be difficult to find someone more passionate about what they do for a living than Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City. More than 100 members of the Pirates’ organization -- in Pittsburgh and in Bradenton, Fla. -- witnessed that enthusiasm when he spoke to the group via Zoom on Friday as the team launched its diversity, equity and inclusion speaker series.

“We chose Bob to kick off this series here during Black History Month so he could talk about the long and rich history of Negro Leagues baseball and its impact on American culture, and the long, rich history of the Negro Leagues in Pittsburgh and the impact that had,” Pirates president Travis Williams said.

In February of 1920, Rube Foster brought eight Black baseball team owners together for a meeting in Kansas City and established the Negro National League -- which Kendrick referred to as “the first organized, successful Black baseball league.” Until Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, segregated America did not allow Black players to participate in Major League Baseball.

“We understand that this story is anchored against the backdrop of American segregation, a horrible chapter in this country’s history, but out of segregation came this wonderful story of triumph,” Kendrick said. “There’s nothing sad about the story of Negro Leagues baseball. It’s a story about pride and passion and perseverance. It’s the story of the refusal to accept the notion that you’re unfit to do something.”

Pittsburgh was a haven for Black baseball. In fact, it was the only city in the country that had two Negro Leagues teams -- the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Outstanding players such as catcher Josh Gibson, first baseman Buck Leonard, outfielder Cool Papa Bell and pitcher Smokey Joe Williams made the Grays into a powerhouse. Gibson and Bell also spent time as members of the Crawfords, as did player-manager Oscar Charleston and the great Satchel Paige, who is universally regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball history.

“Two of the greatest Black baseball franchises were, of course, the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords,” Kendrick said. “Honestly, there was a bit of a Black baseball civil war right there in your backyard with those two great franchises. Guys like Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Cool Papa Bell were mainstays in your great city, and they are some of the greatest baseball players of all time.”

Kendrick seemed particularly fascinated by Gibson, who is believed to have hit nearly 800 home runs in the Negro Leagues and independent leagues. Kendrick mentioned that at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Gibson had a “Bo Jackson-type body,” and used a huge bat that weighed 40 ounces and measured 41 inches.

“You’ve got to be a man to swing that kind of lumber,” Kendrick said.

Gibson, whose family moved from Georgia to Pittsburgh when he was 11 years old in 1923, played for the Crawfords from 1933 to 1936 and the Grays from 1937-40 and again from 1942-46. He died of a brain tumor at the age of 35 in 1947, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

“Josh Gibson was incredible,” Kendrick said. “He was tremendously strong, but he wasn’t just a power hitter. He was a great hitter. And he wasn’t just a good catcher; he was a great catcher.”

When the hour-long Zoom session was about to end, those on the call were left with the impression that Kendrick would gladly share more stories another time.

“We don’t have enough time to go through the full litany of great stars that called Pittsburgh home as it relates to Black baseball,” Kendrick said. “Negro Leagues athletes loved the game of baseball so much they were willing to endure whatever social adversity confronted them. Their passion would not only change our sport, [but] it would change our country. That’s the story we bring to life in its full glory at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.”

When Kendrick’s presentation concluded, Williams said:

“This was a great way to start off our diversity, equity and inclusion speaker series. We’re going to take inspiration from you and what you shared today, Bob. We’re not perfect as an organization. We know can get better every day. We should celebrate our differences in ways that are positive. We should really understand those differences, treasure them, and utilize them to get better as we move forward.”