(Washington, DC)—The United States House of Representatives today approved legislation designating the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City as America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.  The legislation was sponsored by Congressman Cleaver in the House of Representatives, and Sen. Talent was sponsor of the Senate companion version which unanimously passed the Senate in April.  Now that the measure has passed the Senate and House, the designation is official. 

“As Mayor of Kansas City I was proud to work on the 18th and Vine Historic District, where the Negro National League was born in 1920. I am very pleased to say that Missouri’s Fifth District is now officially home of America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The passage of this bill represents national recognition of the role our community played in the history of the Negro Leagues. We should all be very proud of the work Buck O’Neil and others have done to commemorate baseball played on segregated fields,” said Congressman Cleaver.

“I would like to thank the Senator Jim Talent, for his hard work to move this bill,” said Congressman Cleaver, “it was a pleasure to reach across the aisle, and the rotunda, and find a willing partner to work on this national designation for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.”

“This is a great day for everyone at the National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City,” said Sen. Talent.  “The museum is a national destination for anyone seeking to enrich their understanding of this period in America’s history.  Whether you are a baseball fan or not, you will be moved by what you see there.  You will be encouraged and inspired in every way by seeing how those players confronted the injustices of their times, and the great spirit, energy and joy with which they overcame those obstacles.”

 “As America’s only public museum dedicated to the history of the Negro Leagues, we are thrilled with this important recognition,” said John “Buck” O’Neil, NLBM Chairman.

“The Museum will forever strive to fulfill this national designation,” said Mark Bryant, NLBM Board Chairman

“For the 2,600 Negro Leagues players, their legacy is forever etched in the national history of baseball,” said Bob Kendrick, Deputy Director of the NLBM.  “It’s a great story that should be told and retold.”

The designation of the NLBM as America’s National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will help it in its efforts to preserve the history of the Negro Leagues and the impact of segregation on our nation.  The national designation will also assist the museum in efforts to continue the collection, preservation and interpretation of historical artifacts. 

The NLBM was founded in 1990 and is the only public museum in the nation that exists exclusively for portraying the players in the Negro Leagues from 1920 thru the 1960s. 

More than 60,000 baseball fans throughout the country visit the museum in Kansas City each year.  Currently, the NLBM houses a comprehensive collection of historical materials, important artifacts and oral histories of the participants of the Negro Leagues and the impact that segregation played in the lives of the ballplayers and their fans.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Belton, Raymore and Peculiar, Missouri. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee.