Our National Holiday and Two Completely Different Stories

 

Two recently published Op-Eds, “How Gun Violence Changed My Father, Ronald Reagan, and Our Family”, by Patti Davis July 5, 2022 New York Times and “Baseball should Honor Larry Doby, another pioneer in integrating the sport” by Dave Kaplan and Joseph Thomas Moore July 4, 2022 Chicago Sun Times seemingly have very little to do with each other but I would argue they are strongly connected. On this July 4th holiday the stories of the Heartland are speaking a bit louder than usual. I encourage you to read each article. They are well written and tell important stories about what makes America unique and special.

On July 5, 1947, Larry Doby became the second African American to play in the major leagues, and the first to play in the American League. As a pinch-hitter he struck out. A day earlier, on the 4th of July, Doby, born in the segregated South Carolina and raised in New Jersey, played for the Newark Eagles in the segregated Negro Leagues hitting a home run at his last at-bat. Doby’s MLB career, ironically began not in Cleveland but away in Chicago surrounded by private detectives. 

In many respects, this is a story that could only happen in America! Despite having a rough rookie year, Doby went on to have a Hall of Fame career leading the Cleveland Indians to the World Series in his second year.  He endured racism on and off the field. Years later on June 30, 1978, Bill Veeck, the man who signed Doby to the contract with the Indians, hired Doby to be the manager of the Chicago White Sox. He became the second African American manager in major league history. 

Given the accomplishments of the late Larry Doby, sportswriter Dave Kaplan and historian Joseph Thomas Moore wrote in the that Doby, who belongs to Chicago as much as he does to Cleveland, should be celebrated in MLB history by having his retired number worn by every American League player on July 5th. Similar to how MLB honors Jackie Robinson by wearing his number in April, this could be a fitting tribute to the man who was the first in two capacities in American League history.  

Patti Davis, author and daughter of President Ronald Reagan, writes about the power and courage of her father in dealing with his own challenges and setting a tone for the nation. President Reagan was one of four people shot early in his first term. His press secretary suffered from terminal brain injuries. In many respects, President Reagan was one of the lucky ones. Although he was close to death he received the best medical care in the world. Yet, Americans did not know that their president was sick and that he had life-long complications and he lived with apprehensions about being a victim of gun violence. Reagan stopped going to church and often wore a bullet-proof vest. He feared about being out in public not for his own life but for the lives of others. 

At the same time, Ms. Davis writes about the trauma associated with gun violence.  She confronts the fear of someone trying to shoot her father again as well as her own fears of being a victim of violence or having someone around her hurt. Ms. Davis talks about the psychological and physical damage to the families. How many people are injured and are victimized by this gun culture. 

Her essay was powerful because the peaceful Chicago suburb of Highland Park was rocked by a mass shooting in which seven people were killed and thirty were injured. The alleged shooter is a 22-year old resident, known to many. It was the 304th mass-shooting event in the nation this year. 

For Chicagoland residents, the memories of July 4th usually celebrated with baseball, parades and fireworks will never be the same. The legacy of Larry Doby and other baseball heroes will be marred by this horrific event.  

We mourn the victims of gun violence throughout the nation, but on this holiday weekend the people of Highland Park are in our thoughts and prayers.