February 19 – June 30, 2026
REFLECTIONS FROM
Sharon Fletcher, Executive Director of the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy (HFTC).
“The Freedmen’s Town Baseball exhibition is a powerful act of remembrance and humanization that transcends the boundaries of the game. With the World Baseball Classic coming to Houston in March 2026, we saw an opportunity to connect the global stage of baseball with the deeply rooted legacy of Freedmen’s Town.”
This exhibition illuminates Freedmen’s Town’s contributions to baseball—a game that has long mirrored the struggles and triumphs of Black communities in America.
At a time when Negro League statistics are finally being integrated into Major League Baseball’s official records, it’s vital to honor the players and places that history too often overlooks. Freedmen’s Town is not just a footnote—it’s a foundation.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Blackball: Baseball, Barbeque & Blues, explores Houston’s Freedmen’s Town “Blackball” legacy, from barnstorming in sandlots to the Negro Leagues and the integration of Major League Baseball. The exhibition humanizes history through the faith, fellowship, and traditions that breathed life into its streets and fields, revealing how Black baseball embodied freedom and joy through community picnics, music, economy, and self-expression through sport and play.
REFLECTIONS FROM
Seba R. Suber, Curator and Co-Owner of Southern Polymath Creative Consulting, LLC.
“Black baseball in Houston’s Freedmen’s Town was never ‘just a game;’ it was resilience, innovation, and joy. From West End Park to global fields, Black Houstonians built culture through play and perseverance. In Freedmen’s Town, ‘Blackball’ fostered community fellowship and shaped community during times when Black folks were blackball(ed) elsewhere.
Remembering this history reminds us that play is freedom, and through play we see ourselves, past and present. This work is about education and honoring Black leisure, play, and sport as both history and the kindling of human spirit in the journey of liberation.”