June 14, 2015
Philadelphia's own Mo'ne Davis has big plans this summer.
The pitcher who took the nation by storm when she helped lead the Taney Dragons into the U.S. semifinals of the 2014 Little League World Series Davis plays for the Anderson Monarchs, a team that is part of the Philadelphia Youth Organization (PYO).
The PYO stresses both academic and athletic goals for its teams, attempting to serve both their children and the community as a whole. The Monarchs are coached Steve Bandura, who is taking his team on a 20-city tour of the country over the next month
The team will visit historic monuments in the Civil Rights movement. Bandura, who is white, noted in a recent blog post for the team, which also plays a variety of other sports, that the goal was to give the kids a better understanding of history in the wake of recent events that have sparked discussion on race relations in the United States:
We must look back to see forward. Education and dialogue has to replace hatred and blind ignorance. As with the Civil Rights Movement 50 years ago, that change has to start with our young people. But, in order for them to carry out this important mission, we must arm them with the knowledge and understanding needed to effect positive change.
Davis' team and their trip was profiled in a recent New York Times piece. In the article, Davis reflects on one spot the team's trip will stop at: The church in Birmingham, Alabama, where a 1963 bombing by the Klu Klux Klan killed four black girls:
"I do feel really bad, because they could have changed the world. And for them to lose their lives at such a young age? You never know what they could have done.”
Read Bruni's full piece here.
