Two rival high schools honor Black History Month with a game of baseball at Rickwood Field

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Baseball legends that helped break the color barrier in professional baseball have also stepped foot on Rickwood Field. In honor of those achievements, Jackson-Olin and Parker high schools will play their rivalry game at the historic field on Wednesday.

This is the first time these schools will meet at Rickwood Field, but Coach Austin Zeke Jackson said they have been able to practice there for a few weeks.

Jackson said that during practice, staff has reminded the players of the history that rounded those bases and made an impact across the country.

Coach Jackson said that while it is just a game of baseball, it is a platform to show their appreciation for what African Americans have accomplished in Alabama:

“It’s a platform that we are able to use. If we have an opportunity to do something like that, it’s better for everyone, for us to do it. It may not be the biggest platform. We can’t stand and speak to the whole country but we can put on a baseball uniform and say thank you to those people who did that and made it possible for what we’re doing now. What we are doing today.”

Coach Jackson hopes the game at Rickwood Field will become a tradition.

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