Third Thursday Presentation Gilbert Hernandez Black
Former Negro League Baseball Player Gilbert Hernandez Black was the Third Thursday guest speaker at the Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Ave. Hartford, CT 06106. Mr. Black played baseball in Stamford, Connecticut at Stamford High school in 1955. He later played for the West Palm Beach Indians, a Florida State League affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves in 1956, and also for the Indianapolis Clowns, a professional baseball team in the Negro American League in 1957 and 1960. Mr. Black shared his experiences playing in the historic Negro Baseball League. The Negro Baseball Leagues were created to provide an opportunity for African Americans and Latin Americans to play professional baseball. Mr. Black played with players such as Clarence “Choo-Choo” Coleman and “Nature Boy” Williams, and many others. Baseball was a segregated sport until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in October 1945.