LEGACY OF A MONARCH: AN AMERICAN JOURNEY by Jan Sumner ISBN 0-9703197-5-4 188 pages, with 16 pages of rare photos. U.S. $15.00, Canada $18.00 With a Foreword by President Bill Clinton, and an Introduction by Don Baylor, this biography of Byron "Mex" Johnson, an All-Star Negro League baseball player of the 1930s-1940s - is a history not only of a black baseball player, but of an African American's journey through American history.
With a Foreword by President Bill Clinton, and an Introduction by Don Baylor, this biography of Byron "Mex" Johnson, an All-Star Negro League baseball player of the 1930s-1940s - is a history not only of a black baseball player, but of an African American's journey through American history.
FOREWORD BY PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON:
This book will introduce you to an exceptional man who lived during a fascinating time. Byron Johnson is the grandson of a slave who overcame financial and social obstacles on his way to a college degree and a life devoted to education and to making the world a better place.
Byron Johnson grew up in Little Rock, in a segregated society, getting a college degree at a time when many institutions of higher education were closed to minorities. He became a biology teacher and was so dedicated to helping young people that he turned down the first offer he received to play professional baseball.
Byron became a great athlete in the Negro Leagues, known throughout the baseball world for his peerless defensive skills. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, alongside legends like Satchel Paige and Buck O'Neil.
Then, while still in good enough shape to play many more years, Byron left his beloved baseball career to return to teaching. He also served in World War II, fighting to protect the freedoms that his country did not fully grant him.
Byron Johnson spent his life striving for greatness, both athletically and intellectually, and striving to instill it in others. He was a pioneer, paving the way for African Americans to enjoy equal rights and equal opportunities. Without Negro Leaguers like Byron demonstrating the extent of their skills, Major League Baseball would have taken much longer to integrate. Without educators like Byron, our nation's young people would not have had desperately needed role models to mold their characters and challenge their intellects. I am grateful for his inspiring life.
President Bill Clinton February 2005
INTRODUCTION BY DON BAYLOR:
Byron Johnson is a gentle man with an open hand and easy smile. Extremely approachable, he has a gracious manner and dignified demeanor.
He is not angry; he is not bitter.
What is obvious is that he is giving. And what he did was endure. Through their intensity on the playing field, and their ability to endure, the men of the Negro Leagues steadily chipped away at the wall of baseball segregation. In so doing, they paved the way for people like myself. As a major league baseball player from the generation of the 1970s, and as a major league manager of the 21st century, the Negro Leagues' history and ballplayers have inspired me throughout my career. I am filled with pride at their enduring, even while recognition of the significance of their efforts has been a "long time coming." Their contribution to the modern game has been too often overlooked and undervalued. Their determination, however, lives on through myself and all other ballplayers of color who have benefited from the continued success of professional baseball.
In the world of strict racial segregation in which he was born, begun in Jim Crow Arkansas, the struggle and primary goal for "Mex" Johnson and his contemporaries was simply to reach the playing field, and to show that their physical abilities matched those of their white counterparts. By now it's infamously well documented that disputing, or even worse, daring to attempt to prove wrong, the commonly held belief that black ballplayers were incapable of competing for any position on the field brought derision, scorn and often violence. The struggle that began more than 130 years ago to be recognized on the basis of merit and on a "level playing field" continues well into the 21st century. Even as racial barriers to athletic participation have come tumbling down in the past 50 years, while encouraged by the accomplishments, we must remain vigilant about the challenges that lie ahead. As one of a handful of African-American managers, I assume this responsibility with sincere humility, knowing what sacrifices others, especially Negro Leaguers, made to give me the opportunity to play, let alone manage in the major leagues.
The unfolding of "Mex" Johnson's life is truly a testament to the human spirit when faced with adverse circumstances and rigid barriers. As a grandson of a slave, Johnson embodied the strides that African-Americans had made during the span of two generations. A husband, scholar, citizen, teacher, soldier, father and two-sport athlete, Johnson forced his peers to think of him in multiple ways. His willingness to serve stands out as the most impressive theme running throughout his remarkable life. As a World War II veteran, joining the fight for freedom in a foreign nation (and liberties he did not enjoy in his own home state) speaks to his character and enduring hope for a better America. And, as a person who believed to his core in "giving back," Byron rarely shunned an opportunity to transfer his knowledge to the persons most in need of a role model: our youth. He firmly understood that the permanent legacy of the African-American athlete would lie in our ability to teach life lessons to these young men and women for whom our stature commands so much of their attention.
As an individual in the public eye and one of the caretakers of a legacy laid down by trailblazers of Mex Johnson's era, I continue to absorb their lessons with the awareness of the need to keep this history alive for younger generations. And, as a coach and manager, the knowledge of this history keeps me equally committed to impressing younger players of the power our prestige can exert as a positive influence. I, too, believe in giving back.
It's important to me that we honor Byron Johnson and the men like him by listening to his story. We owe these men a debt of gratitude and we all need to pay attention. I'm sure Byron would agree, so we can "pass it on."
Don Baylor October 2004