STAFFORD – Stafford Co. Museum will host “The Kansas City Monarchs and America’s National Pastime,” a presentation and discussion by Phil Dixon at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Museum Library, 100 N. Main, in Stafford. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Refreshments will be served. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.

The year 2020 marked two major milestones for baseball: the Negro Leagues celebrated their 100th anniversary and Major League Baseball merged statistics of these African American players with those of the major league. The history of Negro League baseball in America mirrors the racial strife experienced by African Americans in society. It was plagued by discrimination, racism, and inequity, while its athletes were celebrated for their resiliency, professionalism, and athleticism. The Kansas City Monarchs barnstormed across Kansas and the region to play more than 400 games between 1920 and 1957 against local towns. This talk sheds new light on this sports history and the history of baseball in Kansas.

Phil S. Dixon a cofounder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. He is author of nine books about baseball, including biographies about Wilber “Bullet” Rogan and John “Buck” O’Neil. In the course of his research, he has interviewed over 500 former Negro League players and family members.

This program is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau (humanitieskansas.org), featuring humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement. Contact the museum, 620-234-5664, for more information.