Smithsonian collecting material for traveling exhibit about Latinos in baseball
*Latinos have been a part of U.S. baseball since the 1870’s. This tribute exhibition is overdue. VL
Ever since Estevan “The Cuban Sylph” Bellán played third base for the Troy (N.Y.) Haymakers of the National Association in the early 1870s, baseball has been an important part of the lives of Latinos in the U.S. and around the world.
To commemorate the cultural influence of the game on Puerto Rico and in Hispanic communities in the U.S., the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is launching a multiyear campaign to identify and collect artifacts and stories illustrating that aspect of the game.
The initiative, “Latinos and Baseball: In the Barrios and the Big Leagues,” looks to collect baseball equipment, stadium signs and game memorabilia – such as homemade or mass-produced jerseys, ticket stubs and more.
Click HERE to read the full story.
[Photo by Eric Beato/Flickr]
