The “They Stepped Up to the Plate” event brought surviving members of the segregated Negro Leagues in baseball to Rochester to tell their stories. Submitted photo

Many local residents enjoyed the recent event “They Stepped Up to the Plate” but may not know the local connection behind it.

Honeoye Falls resident Jeff Klein and his daughter Makayla created “They Stepped Up to the Plate” as a way to honor the unsung heroes of civil rights and baseball, the surviving members of the segregated Negro Leagues. What started as a way for Klein to teach his kids about civil rights, has developed into so much more and more than just a father/daughter project. It has become a labor of love.

According to their Facebook page and their Go Fund Me page, “They Stepped Up to the Plate” began on a February day in 2014 when Makayla, then a second-grader at HF-L’s Manor School came home very intrigued to learn more about civil rights. Her teacher had taught her that day about Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges. She asked her dad if he could find Ruby Bridges’ address so she could write her a letter. Two days later, Makayla wrote Ms. Bridges a two and a half page letter. He seized the opportunity to teach her more about civil rights through the eyes of baseball, as he had been collecting Negro League autographs and memorabilia since before she was born. Very fascinated by what he was teaching her, she said, “Why don’t you write letters too?”

There are less than 200 living Negro Leaguers left. Klein has written over 300 letters in an attempt to find these men (and one woman) and astonishingly, has heard back from about 75 players. Unfortunately, there is a downside to these correspondences. Several of the players the Kleins have heard from have since passed away, some of them taking their stories with them. Their deaths are an extremely sobering reminder that their stories need to be shared to ensure their legacy lives on. This is why Klein and his daughter created “They Stepped Up to the Plate”.

On the Go Fund Me page, Klein writes “These players have such amazing stories. Their stories should not go untold. What started as a simple attempt to teach my own children about the civil rights struggles in America has turned into so much more. There are countless stories about the players who made it to the Major Leagues, but seldom do we read about the players who, for the love of the game, continued playing segregated baseball into the 1950’s and 1960’s. Their story is a compelling account of an America struggling with itself to establish a new identity.”

“They Stepped Up to the Plate” held an event in July 2015 with four of the players coming to Rochester to share their stories. The most recent event was held on July 13, 2017.

According to the Go Fund Me page, due to the tremendous success of the original campaign and of the events, and at the urging of many people, they have decided that “They Stepped Up to the Plate” will be shared with a much broader audience and Klein has begun writing a book of the same name and he and his daughter plan on traveling to meet and interview some of the players to document their stories for inclusion in the book. As this portion of the campaign evolves, they will provide updates with stories from the players themselves as well as photos taken during their travels.

Donations to “They Stepped Up to the Plate” are used to cover lodging, stipends, and travel expenses for the players who attended the special event. Any money donated in excess of the players’ expenses will be used for travel, fuel, and lodging as the Kleins continue their work on the book, “They Stepped Up to the Plate.” The Facebook page is www.facebook.com/theysteppeduptotheplate/ and the Go Fund Me page can be found at www.gofundme.com/they-stepped-up-to-the-plate.

©2024 Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel

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