“I Wouldn’t Wish It On Anybody”
I developed a passion for baseball during my early youth in Tucson, Arizona. As a Tucson Electric Pantano Little League member, I was skinny, underdeveloped, and above average height. I initially appeared as a significant and gangly target while playing first base, which led coaches to believe I would have a commanding presence on the mound. However, they soon realized that my pitching control was limited.
Coach Bill Busch, a talk show host on 93.7 F.M. The Early Break, often reminisces about childhood memories and how things were as he references “simpler times.” I can relate to this, as my baseball days in the early 80s brought to mind riding with friends on our BMX or ten-speed bikes in full uniform to practices and games. Post trips to Dairy Queen to see if we could score our favorite baseball team via our helmet hot fudge helmet Sunday. My group, much like the one in the classic movie Sandlot, had us imitating players such as Willie Mays, Josh Gibson, Hank Aaron, and Reggie Jackson, hoping to emulate them on the field.
Reginald, more commonly known as “Reggie” Martinez Jackson, had a 21-season Hall of Fame professional baseball career in Major League Baseball. He was renowned for his exceptional performance, particularly in the World Series. We were all striving to capture a month as our nickname because Jackson already had “Mr. October” locked up.
To hear such a highly praised figure in American sports, especially in a game positioned as ‘America’s pastime,’ emphatically state during a recent interview, ‘I wouldn’t wish what he experienced on anybody,’ was just the beginning of three minutes of reality that everyone needs to watch.
For context, on June 20, 2024, MLB hosted a game at Rickwood Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. This stadium was once home to the Black Barons, the first team in Alabama to integrate. The game was symbolic as they honored the legacy and contribution to the game of Negro Leagues. A few weeks earlier, MLB incorporated the statistics of 2,300 Black athletes who played in the segregated Negro Leagues between 1920 and 1948.
He also noted that a year prior, baseball had been removed from the town because the Ku Klux Klan had murdered four black girls.
When asked if he felt like a better person, if he felt as though he won when he played at Rickwood Field and conquered, Jackson replied, “Coming back here is not easy. The racism that I faced here, the difficulty of the different places where we traveled…but I wouldn’t wish it on anybody…I would never want to do it again.”
“Coming back here is not easy. The racism that I faced here, the difficulty of the different places where we traveled…but I wouldn’t wish it on anybody…I would never want to do it again.”
Of note, a year prior, baseball had been removed from the town because the Ku Klux Klan had murdered four black girls.
Often, we romanticize the hardships endured by individuals like the late Congressman John Lewis and the courageous students who fought for desegregation and nearly died on The Edmund Pettus Bridge (Selma, Alabama). “They would not wish that on anyone and never want to do it again.”
Jackson’s statement made me think about the McDonogh Three, a nickname for three African American students — Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost, and Gail Etienne — who walked up the stairs of all-white schools. At the same time, angry mobs stood outside in opposition. This happened on the same day but at a different school than the much-heralded Ruby Bridges, who desegregated McDonogh 19 Elementary School in New Orleans on November 14, 1960. I’m sure they would not wish that experience on anyone, and even though they did it repeatedly day after day, they would never want to do it again.
As I watched, I reflected on my mother. She was a 40-year-old black educator. Arguably the best athlete in our house; however, Title IX did not exist until 1972. She ensured I knew about greats the greats in the Negro League, Willie Mays, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige, along with female players Toni Stone and Mamie Johnson.
My mother battled Alzheimer’s for over a decade. Though in cognitive decline, she provided my family with cherished moments and memories even when hers was failing. Though many well-intended compliments on her and our family’s strength. Even in her cognitive decline of losing hers, she provided our family with so many. She would never wish her experience on anyone.
Jackson’s interview is a must-watch for all. He emotionally shared often hidden truths and emotions in raw form. His genuine and unscripted response, which I watched live and uncensored, moved me. It made me appreciate the broadcasters for acknowledging the moment’s significance.
Jackson’s reality isn’t about pushing a political agenda but rather about education. If some people are worried about indoctrination or fear from Jackson’s ‘truth,’ they should know that the manager and players on the team he references were instrumental in getting through, and he states his ultimate survival. Their unwavering support was a beacon of hope, reassuring kindness, love, and civility and standing up for justice.
“Coming back here is not easy,” Reggie Jackson said. “The racism when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled — fortunately, I had a manager and I had players on the team that helped me through it — but I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”
Jackson’s call to action is to be aware, revisit, and knowledgeable about the historical foundation of present-day spaces and experiences. By doing so, we are responsible for intentionally creating a culture of inclusion and belonging that we wholeheartedly wish for everyone.
Click here or below to watch the full interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMH2z4lFvZw&t=279s
