Kenny Washington Plaque, 1972, America Comes Alive
Segregated Bathroom, 1900's, Slate
Before Martin Luther King Jr made his big speech in 1963, most African Americans didn't go to the big leagues. If you were an African American during the early 1900's, then most likely you couldn't go to the same school, the same restroom, and the same sport leagues as a white person could. The Jim Crow Laws made sure of this. These laws separated people of color and white people. This made life harder for the non-white population. If there was any mention of a league played by whites. It would be an all-white league, and what could you change; nothing.
Segregated Bathroom, 1900's, Slate
In 1933, the National Football League (NFL) made a rule to ban African Americans from their league. This ban would be active for a 13-year span. One of the major reasons many NFL executives did this, was because they wanted to make the NFL an all-white league. African Americans had their own sport leagues. Like the Negro League for the MLB. Some colleges allowed African Americans into their leagues, but only a handful of African Americans were ever signed into the NFL before 1933.
On August 8, 1918, Kenny Washington was born in Los Angeles, California. Kenny was the son of Blue Washington. Who was highly known in the Negro League. Eventually, Kenny became just like his father, a pro athlete. Kenny ended up playing football, but still had a little baseball in him.
Blue Washington, 1916, Agate Type
Edgar (Blue) Washington was a famous slugger, boxer, and actor.
Blue Washington was an athletic legend, and one of the first African Americans on the big screen. Becoming a slugger for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1920. He also was an actor in big movies like King Kong in 1933 and Gone With the Wind in 1939.
In 1939, Kenny made his first big step to success. Kenny Washington went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Where he played for the Bruin's baseball team. Where he played with players like Woody Strode, Jackie Robinson, and Ray Bartlett. All four of them being the only African Americans on the college team. Once he started to play on the football team though, people started to notice his talent. Kenny broke many college records during his football games. He was called an All American, because of his raw talent at the sport.
Kenny Washington Plaque, 1972, America Comes Alive