The Journal of Biddy Owens The Negro Leagues Birmingham, Alabama,

Setting Birmingham, Alabama, 1948

Main Characters Biddy Owens-main character- Member of the Birmingham Black Barons Rachel Owens- Biddy’s sister- Annoys biddy all of the time because she's mean to him. “Mama”(Janie Owens)-Biddy’s mother- Doesn’t want Biddy to play baseball, but she goes along with it because its what Biddy loves. “Daddy”(Macon Owens)-Biddy’s father- Likes that Biddy is on the team and wants the best for him and thinks Biddy can make baseball his career Aunt Jack-Biddy’s aunt- Doesn’t think that Biddy is doing the lords will by playing baseball, she wants Biddy to go to college and focus on academics.

Birmingham Black Barons The Birmingham Black Barons Negro league was established in 1924 and quickly became known as known as "the jewel of Southern black baseball”. In this time baseball was just beginning to be integrated but that didn’t stop the barons from being an amazing team winning most of their games and eventually making it to the play-offs in rickwoodclassic.com

Birmingham Black Barons From the 1920s to the 1940s, the Birmingham Black Barons were among the most successful baseball teams in the Negro Leagues. In 1948 Biddy Owens was the scorekeeper, errand boy, and equipment manager, and sometimes right fielder for the Birmingham Black Barons. The BBB were traveling through the north and south playing games in Durham, NC, Winston Salem, NC, and Greensboro, NC as well as other surrounding areas. While they were traveling playing games in the north they didn’t really witness discrimination but through the south they dealt with racist Caucasian baseball players all of the time.

Racism While the BBB’s were traveling through the southern parts of the United States racism was rampant. Biddy wrote about how they had to get to-go food in most restaurants because they couldn’t sit and eat in the white Diners. Had separate fountains and hotels. They were threatened by the Caucasian ball players and picked on by them but they didn’t care. They were winning. Biddy said that the white players on the other teams were trying to distract them while the BBB were trying to bat and play. They would try to do anything to keep the negro leagues from winning, but the BBB’s just ignored them and kept focusing on the game.

End of the Season The BBB had won the first half of the season and received a telegram from Birmingham world Congratulating them. At the end of the season the BBB made it to the play-offs Lost the series four games to one against New Olean Greys They all felt terrible

Epilogue Rachel Owens graduated high school and worked in a beauty parlor because there weren’t many black hair dressers. She also started her own company for face products, lipsticks, and cosmetics. Aunt Jack became more involved in the church and eventually moved to Hooper, Alabama she joined and reverend the church at Berney Points. Biddy’s parents both stayed in Birmingham and were involved in the civil rights movement in the 60s.

Biddy’s Life After BBB Biddy Owens started at Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama, two weeks after what turned out to be the last Negro League World series. He coached the Talladega baseball team for the 4 years that he attended the college as a business major. After graduating he worked in a purchasing department at Miles College in the Birmingham office of the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company in Durham, NC. Biddy then retired and worked on to expand the little league baseball program in Birmingham.

My Connection I was interested in this diary of the negro leagues because racism is one of my topics of interest. When I saw the title negro leagues I knew it would have to deal with racism. The negro leagues played in Durham, NC which is my hometown and it is where he worked later on after he graduated from college. My family experienced racism a lot because my mom and her siblings integrated schools in Randolph County.

Sources Myers, Walter D. Book. The journal of Biddy Owens. New York.NA.NA.NA NA.NA.Encyclopedia of Birmingham.Black Barons.web. August, March, Kaplan, Ron. Bookpage.web March,