Yawkey Foundation Partners with National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on New Exhibit, “The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball”

The Yawkey Foundation is honored to support the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Black Baseball Initiative, and in particular, the meaningful and timely permanent exhibit which opened in May 2024, “Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball”.

This critical initiative fosters understanding and courageous conversations which stem from both the painful chapters of our nation’s history, and from the often hard-won victories by some of the greatest players and personalities in and around baseball. This exhibit reveals the deep connections between baseball and Black America by shining a light on the many important, complex, and nuanced stories that need to be told, especially by individuals with lived experiences.

The Hall was a very special place to the Yawkeys. In 1939, Tom Yawkey made his first visit and gift to The Hall to support its mission to preserve the history of baseball and honor excellence in the sport. In the decades since, the Yawkeys and the Foundation perpetuating their legacy have consistently provided in-kind donations and philanthropic resources for a wide range of initiatives to further its mission, including donation of bleacher seating from Fenway Park for the first base line at Doubleday Field, funding for The Hall’s library, conservation efforts, and digital collections and programming for increased outreach.

Importantly, the Yawkeys also dedicated their time and service – Tom Yawkey served on The Hall’s Board of Directors (1968-1976) and in 1984, Jean Yawkey was the first ever woman elected to serve on The Hall’s Board. When Jean passed in 1992, John L. Harrington, current Chairman of the Board of the Yawkey Foundation, was elected to the Board of The Hall and continued to serve on its Executive Committee until he sold the Yawkey interest in the Boston Red Sox in 2002.

As reflected in the Foundation’s efforts to share the facts about the integration of baseball in Boston and across the country, as documented in a detailed archival timeline, we believe that the stories and conversations in this exhibit are as critical and relevant today as they’ve ever been. It is the Yawkey Foundation’s profound honor that the exhibit is on view in the Yawkey Gallery. For more information about the Black Baseball Initiative and this new exhibit, click here.