Speaking at Prince George’s County’s annual Black History Month celebration last week, former Negro Baseball League player and Temple Hills resident Jimmy Bland fondly recalled the black families in segregated southern communities that housed and fed ballplayers like himself.
“There were a lot of places we couldn’t go and a lot of places [where] we couldn’t eat, but we had a real good time,” he said.
Bland, 70, and two other county residents who played for Negro League teams were among those honored at the sixth annual Black History Month celebration Feb. 17 at the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.