During the dark days of segregation in America, black ball players were not welcome to play with their white counterparts, leading to the birth of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Black and white baseball fans sat separately in the stands, partitioned by chicken wire. These divisions, on and off the field, were symbolic of the racial divide in our country.
Before Brown v. Board of Education, before Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, before the marches of the 1960’s and the Civil Rights Act, baseball set an example for our country when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, stepping onto the field as a Brooklyn Dodgers. Our nation was broken, and baseball set an example to begin to heal the wounds of segregation.
Despite the gains, the death of George Floyd, as well as others, confirms how far away our nation still is from justice and equality. People are angry, terrified, and frustrated. Some feel hopeless and helpless. In times like these, people instinctively turn to our leaders for hope and a path forward. The real solution, however, does not lie with our leaders; it lies within all of us. We share collective responsibility to ensure basic human rights for everyone.
Sports unite communities; championships can bring a city together. We believe baseball can be a catalyst for change. We saw it happen in the city of Detroit when the Tigers won the World Series in 1968 - a year of great turbulence. Our hope and belief is that Music City Baseball will inspire this unity as we work to bring Major League Baseball to Nashville.
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In a March 16th Facebook post, she wrote: “While School is out until April 3rd, I will be providing a small lunch for kids. Lunch will include a hot dog or a sandwich with chips, a fruit or snack and a bottle of water...Lunch will be provided on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30am to 1:00pm. If anyone would like to help or donate, please inbox me. I am just trying to make sure these kids get a meal. Some kids go to school so they can get a meal...We'll Get Through This Together.” Samaria started by gathering items from her own pantry and serving them from her window in her North Nashville home. By March 24, she was feeding 30-60 kids a day and extended the lunch service through April 24th as Mayor Cooper issued the “Safer At Home” order for Nashville. With each announcement, schools remained closed, but Samaria never thought twice about extending her lunch service. Now named “The Window of Love,” she has added a “Special Friday” edition where she serves kids, adults, and anyone who shows up.
In her own words, “Everyone should feel special at the Window Of Love. Every bag is the same and no one gets picked on for what they have or don’t have in their lunch.” Thank you, Samaria, for taking action and spreading love and hope throughout our community. You are truly a Nashville Star, and Music City Baseball is proud to honor you as our June Star Of The Month.
