Tha Brown Urban Mother Partnership is sponsoring a Mount Vernon Little League team. “The BUMP” played their first game at Memorial Field located in Mt. Vernon, New York on Saturday, May 27, 2018. Founder of Tha BUMP Cynthia Turnquest-Jones is a baseball fan. She shared the following, “As a child I attended games with my grandmother. The Mets was her favorite team and my dad often spoke about Jackie Robinson. I know how important Mt. Vernon Little League was for my brother Victor Turnquest, Jr. who received a scholarship to Alabama State University for playing baseball as a left handed pitcher.”
They hung out at the baseball field almost everyday as youth. She stated that it was exciting to watch her brother, cousins & neighbors play against one another for many years. “We had the schedule posted on the refrigerator and would write the results in pencil with our little handwritings. Often we were running home, doing our homework, and dashing out to the field to watch the friendly competition.” At that time they understood what meant to be a part of a team. Which makes it understandable of how successful they are as adults.
Dwayne Brown, who is a champion behind Mt. Vernon Little League being a success, expressed that opening day was very rewarding for him. He hosted Jackie Robinson Day in Mt. Vernon to memorialize how difficult it was during the era of Jim Crow laws and racism, preventing Black Baseball players from making significant inroads. In 1890, the National Association of BaseBall Players rejected blacks from playing. They laughed it off by calling it a “gentleman’s agreement” to bar black teams from the organized leagues for 50 years. This was concluded to prevent some division of feeling, whereas, by excluding Blacks no injury could result to anyone.
Dwayne Brown is to be thanked for his efforts to keeping baseball breathing. Shout Out those who played Mount Vernon Little League Victor Turnquest, Jr., Beverly Burgess-Hutchins, Adam Holmes, Denzil McKesey, Dennis McKesey, Chris Holmes, and Kenyatta Gallbreath ⚾️ #thabump #letboysplayball #playball #littleleague
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