Racial segregation dominated the South in 1955, but a group of Little League baseball players from Pensacola and Orlando would step onto a Central Florida field that summer in an act that changed not only the way that sports are played but supported a powerful transformation in the very fabric of our community and nation.

On April 10th, 2018, the City of Orlando and the Haddock Family Foundation cordially invite you to attend a celebration of the first racially integrated Little League baseball game in the Deep South. Next Tuesday’s celebration will be the first time that the Pensacola Jaycees have returned to Orlando since 1955, and men from both teams will be honored. The event will take place at Lake Lorna Doone Park at 1519 West Church Street in Orlando, and 20 members of the TFA Varsity Baseball Team will be attending.

There is also a new documentary film, Long Time Coming, that tells this remarkable story. The film features the captains of both Little League Teams, Will Preyer (Pensacola) and Stewart Hall (Orlando) and has been endorsed by Major League Baseball Hall of Famers, Hank Aaron and Cal Ripken, Jr., and Orlando Mayor, Buddy Dyer. You can learn more about the film by visiting the Long Time Coming website here.

We hope to see you on Tuesday morning!