Join the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection and the Philadelphia Phillies as we honor the legacy of Jackie Robinson and celebrate the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues in 1920.

The Negro National League (NNL) was founded in Kansas City, MO, by Black club owners. The NNL's slogan was "We Are the Ship, All Else the Sea."

The 480-page book, "The Negro Leagues' Book, Volume 2: The Players 1862-1960," covers more than 7,000 participants and is the only comprehensive reference encyclopedia about Black baseball available. It includes World Series rosters, Hall of Famers by city and team, uniform numbers, military service, colleges attended, burial sites, along with post-career honors and tributes. Additionally, there is a special section on women in Black baseball.

For more than 50 years, Larry Lester has researched, promoted, and written about Black baseball history. His name appears as author or editor on more than 10 books, and he has been honored to write forewords for six books. He is listed as a contributing researcher in more than 225 books on sports history.

Lester is the co-founder and former Research Director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, where he developed its business plan and its licensing program for caps, jerseys, and jackets. Lester also served as treasurer, personally financing the museum's operations during the early years. He is currently the president of the Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group and a member of M.A.G.I.C., the Midwest Afro American Genealogy Interest Coalition. His mantra is "We are drowning in information but starving for knowledge."

This program was made possible by contributions from the Philadelphia Phillies.