Almost every fan of baseball, or student who has studied the civil rights movement, recognizes the story of Jackie Robinson: the first African American player to swing his bat across the plate in the major leagues. But in Texas, we have our very own story of crossing racial boundaries in the game of baseball.
In the summer of 1959, Jerry Craft was invited to join a semi-pro ball club. When he showed up for tryouts, he discovered he would be pitching for a team in the West Texas Colored League. Despite his concerns of being the only white player on the team, he went on to play two seasons for the Wichita Falls/Graham Stars, and learned about more than just baseball.
From his incredible story comes his new book, "Our White Boy." The title of the book was inspired by the racial slur that turned into a nickname given affectionately to Craft by his teammates on the Stars.
To learn more about Craft's story, watch the video below, and visit www.ourwhiteboy.com.
