The Indianapolis Indians will commemorate the city’s Negro Leagues heritage during their annual Negro Leagues Night at 7 p.m. on July 11 at Victory Field.
This year’s event honors the Indianapolis ABCs (1913-1926), one of the Negro Leagues’ inaugural franchises.
Players will wear specialty ABCs-inspired jerseys, each dedicated to a historic Negro Leagues athlete. The jerseys will be auctioned following the contest, benefiting Indianapolis Indians Charities and youth baseball nonprofit Indy RBI.
Local historian Sampson Levingston anchors the tributes. He’ll lead the Indians staff on pregame walk-and-talk tours spotlighting pivotal Black sports history sites. Levingston will also throw the ceremonial first pitch and share stories of Indianapolis’ Black baseball legacy with players.
His collaboration includes a virtual “Black Baseball History of Indianapolis Walk & Talk,” debuting during the game broadcast. The tour highlights six landmarks:
- Oscar Charleston Park
- Douglass Park Baseball Diamonds
- Children’s Museum Legends Statues
- Bush Stadium (Old Victory Field)
- Old Washington Park
- The Talking Wall at IU Indy
Additionally, the Indianapolis Indians are collaborating with cultural agency GANGGANG for the event.
Tickets for the matchup against the Stripers are available via the Indians’ website.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or via email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Facebook @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
