MINNEAPOLIS — When it comes to celebrating diversity, Bob Kendrick knows the impact firsthand.
"My good friends at the Minnesota Twins invited me to come out to be a part of their Diversity Celebration," said Kendrick. "To be here to shed light on the connection on baseball, DEI is something I am really proud of."
Kendrick has served as the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City for more than a decade. His work has focused on preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball.
"As a steward of this story and a leader of an institution that has dedicated itself for 33 years, to the story of the Negro Leagues to life to make sure it would not become extinct when the last Negro Leaguer left this earth, and that was certainly at risk, to have it serve as a tool of hope, determination," he said.
And today - he's sharing his wisdom with Twins staff and the community.
"What better way on our 12th annual diversity celebration to have Bob Kendrick speak to our Twins employees and the community about how baseball has been a great uniter," said Matt Hodson, communications director for the Twins.
Hodson said the goal is for diverse community leaders to network and have open conversations about the challenges they face.
"We got work to do, but we made tremendous progress as well," said Kendrick.
Kendrick hopes to expand the museum into a cultural epicenter in Kansas City.
"Creating a Negro League campus as a gateway into the historic 18th and Vine in Kansas City and creating an international headquarters for Black baseball and social history in the process," said Kendrick.
He's one step closer thanks to the generosity of the Minnesota Twins.
"We have a $25 million project going and I just got $10,000 closer," he said.
The fund will go toward the goal of preserving history for future generations.
"The beauty of baseball is when you look on the field, you see so many ethnicities that make up a major league roster on any given day, but from a historical perspective, it was the Negro Leagues that made it the historical game it is today," he said.
The event kicks off at 4 p.m. tonight at Target Field, with the last event taking place at 6:30 p.m.
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