![Reggie Jackson recalls racial experiences](https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/06/21/USAT/74169848007-usatsi-21725346.jpg?width=1320&height=882&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson says he had mixed emotions going back to Birmingham, Alabama, where Major League Baseball put on a showcase Thursday night highlighting the accomplishments of players from the Negro Leagues.
The game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field was a backgdrop for the emotions felt by players who either played in Birmingham during the throes of Jim Crow and the Negro League players who never got to play in the majors.
Jackson, who played in Birmingham, spoke of the racism he endured with the Athletics' Double-A team in 1967 before he was called up to the big leagues later that year. He credits Birmingham manager John McNamara for protecting his players.
“Coming back here is not easy. The racism that I (faced) here when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places that we traveled," Jackson said on the FOX broadcast. "Fortunately, I had a manager, and I had players on the team that helped me get through it. But I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”