Latest news with #CivilRightsInstitute
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago White Sox ACE 13U team makes a memorable trip to historic Rickwood Field: ‘You felt magical.'
Robert Sanders walked into Rickwood Field, surrounded by history. 'You felt magical,' the 13-year-old outfielder/first baseman said in a phone interview last week. 'How many old, successful players have been playing on that field.' Sanders and his Chicago White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) program 13U teammates recently visited Birmingham, Ala. They won both ends of a doubleheader against the Birmingham Giants at Rickwood Field, which opened in 1910 and where many of the game's best have played. 'I felt like I was an actual MLB player,' 13-year-old center fielder Al Nevers said in a phone interview. The games were just a fraction of the weekend experience earlier this month. The team, with a roster of 14 players, visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. They also had the chance to catch up with ACE alums DJ Gladney and Ed Howard, who are playing Double A baseball for the Birmingham Barons and Knoxville Smokies, respectively. 'When it was offered about taking the ACE boys down, it was a no-brainer,' said Troy Williams, who manages the ACE program, in a phone interview. 'The Civil Rights Institute, it doesn't matter what background you come from, you should visit that place. And then Rickwood Field, there's just so much baseball history. It's a must-see for every baseball fan.' The team first stopped at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on April 4. 'I got to know more about civil rights,' Nevers said. From pre-Jim Crow laws to post-Jim Crow, Williams said there was a lot to take in. 'I had never been to the Civil Rights Institute,' Williams said. 'I had been to many museums, but that one took the cake. The biggest thing was seeing the boys locked in. The kids did not know what to expect, but when we left, we were sitting on the bus and we heard them talking about the things they just learned.' The next day featured the games. 'That's a once in a lifetime experience for any kid,' Williams said. 'To be able to take the field where Willie Mays played, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson. You just kind of felt the history as you entered that place. I got chills myself. As somebody who grew up playing baseball and being able to walk on the field, you just kind of feel it. 'It's the oldest professional ballpark in America, it's super vintage, very nostalgic. You get in and you see this beautiful grass, the nice advertisement signs on the walls, the bleachers. It's like, 'Oh, this is the real deal.' As soon as we walked in, the phones came out and they started recording and trying to capture those memories.' Sanders enjoyed trying out one of the vintage fielding gloves housed at the facility. He also appreciated being at the same location of where scenes of the Robinson movie '42' were filmed. 'And then the opportunity to play on the field, me and my teammates were talking about it even while the game was going on that it felt crazy to do,' Sanders said. Hearing that Mays and Babe Ruth made stops there awed the players. 'I felt like him,' Nevers said, referencing Mays. In addition to playing, the ACE team had the chance to take in a Double-A game between the Barons and Smokies. And it just happened that the squads featured ACE alums. 'The dates, we did not plan it out like that, all the stars had to be aligned,' Williams said. 'For our current players to get the chance to see them, it's representation. 'The biggest motivator is representation and for them to be able to see kids that look like them that played in this program and were once wearing this uniform now playing professional baseball, that's inspiring for a kid.' Gladney's message to the players resonated with Nevers. 'DJ Gladney said he was in my shoes one time and to just keep working and I'll get there where he is,' Nevers said. 'I'm glad to be a part of that.' Sanders added, 'They actually showed that it can actually happen. That you can actually do something on this program and get noticed with everything that you do.' Sanders said he's in his second year with the ACE program. Nevers said this is his third. Both saw the weekend as another experience in the program to remember. 'They give me a lot of opportunities like the one I just had,' Nevers said. 'I'm learning a lot — on and off the field.'
USA Today
26-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
FSU's Day of Dialogue celebrates MLK's legacy and the role of art in social justice
Grace Myatt Staff Writer On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, community leaders, artists and advocates gathered at the Parkview at Cascades Park for the Day of Dialogue event, 'Art as Activism: The Role of Artists in Social and Political Movements.' The event celebrated King's legacy through speeches, discussions and artistic reflections on social justice and human rights. Ted Ellis, director of FSU's Civil Rights Institute and nationally acclaimed artist, shared work from throughout his career to exemplify the importance of art in social justice movements. His work directly engages with racial issues and the black experience in America. City Commissioner Curtis Richardson opened the event by honoring Dr. King's memory, emphasizing civic engagement in a powerful call to action. 'May this be the year where equality and equity restore faith and hope in the dream — the dream of America, the dream of our founding fathers and the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,' Richardson said. Richardson introduced Mark Schlakman, senior program director for FSU's Center for the Advancement of Human Rights. Schlakman highlighted the historical significance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting that it coincides with this year's Inauguration Day. He also addressed the need for continuous dialogue in the face of political and racial divides, invoking a quote from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after Dr. King's assassination. 'We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly,' Schlakman quoted King. 'We have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand, to go beyond rather than discuss these difficult times and allow ourselves to separate and distrust one another.' Schlakman acknowledged the prevalence of institutional racism in Florida, which has been exacerbated by recent cutbacks to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He framed these challenges as opportunities for constructive dialogue, referencing landmark cases such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education to underscore the need for systemic realignment. Ellis began his speech by acknowledging community members Fred Flowers, Vel Johnson, Keith Walker and John Maynard. Flowers, the first black athlete to attend FSU, is the subject of one of the many black-and-white portrait paintings Ellis created to celebrate civil rights leaders in Florida. Reflecting on his 35-year career in art and activism, Ellis described his creative journey as a 'magic carpet' driven by passion and purpose. He emphasized understanding human rights as foundational. 'Human rights supersede civil rights because everybody is born with these inalienable rights that we must respect globally. Civil rights is a piece of the component that we use so that we can live civically in this space,' Ellis said. Nearly six years ago, Ellis was appointed to a federal commission under the Department of Interior's oversight of the National Park Service, where his job was to celebrate and commemorate the activities of African Americans in the 50 states. He expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to hold this position as an artist. Ellis showcased various art projects, including a piece unveiled at the French Embassy during former President Barack Obama's inauguration. The painting, replicating the saturated colors of the MLK painting displayed in person at the event, left attendees in awe. Highlighting another achievement, Ellis is the only artist ever showcased on both the House and Senate sides of the Capitol Building. During a Q&A session, Ellis responded to questions about the role of artists in an era of division, particularly under Gov. Ron DeSantis's leadership. He emphasized youth engagement and building a legacy of hope and promise. When asked about the symbolism in civil rights movements, Ellis explored them through an artist's lens. 'Artists, typically, they listen, they hear and they see," Ellis said. "They ingest it and then they just regurgitate it. I will argue that, as an artist, I speak every language." Two pieces of his master's thesis depicted the transatlantic journey from the slave ship to the cotton field to the boardroom. Initially focused on the male experience, Ellis recounted how a Houston Community College student inspired him to create a female-centric counterpart. 'A young lady said, 'I don't see myself,' and I said, 'Oh, wow. I certainly apologize, but I was thinking from a male perspective and engagement,'' Ellis said. Ellis concluded the event by sharing his commitment to the concept of 'Good Trouble,' inspired by John Lewis's famous quote. 'Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble,' he said. Mayor Pro Tem Dianne Williams-Cox closed the event with an inspiring speech on creating 'good trouble.' Williams-Cox emphasized the need to teach African American history in Florida schools, a law that has gone unenforced since its enactment in 1994. 'Growing up in Gadsden County, I learned some things that I don't want repeated," Williams-Cox said. "And so if I don't want those repeated, then I got to be involved." Through his art and activism, Ellis challenges societal norms and inspires others to pursue justice and equality. 'When we're looking at the ability to share and spread messages and purposes, long and far and wide, it's art that is the medium through which that's achieved,' FSU sophomore Alyson Mizanin, a media communication studies and religion double major, said. 'I think it would be wrong if I existed here solely for four years as a student and didn't engage in the community and didn't participate in any way that I could.' The event's closing words reflected a collective commitment to action and collaboration. 'Together, we can make a change. We can do the great, good work that's necessary in this space,' Ellis said.
