First African-American MLB player

Pre-pro Baseball

Providence, Rhode Island Firsts, Games, Clubs, Fields, Predecessor Games Greater New York City Firsts, Games, Clubs, Fields, Predecessor Games Rhode Island Firsts, Games, Clubs, Fields, Predecessor Games United States Firsts, Games, Clubs, Fields, Predecessor Games

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Date	Saturday, June 21, 1879
Location	Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Modern Address
Description	The first African-American MLB player was not Jackie Robinson, or even Bud Fowler. The first was William E. White (1860-1937), who played one game for the Providence Grays in 1879. White was the first baseman of the Brown University baseball team, and was pressed into service when the Grays' regular first baseman was injured. The GA-born White was mixed-race. It is not clear that any of his classmates or Providence teammates knew he wasn't Caucasian.
Sources	Wikipedia, based on discoveries of Bruce Allardice
Source Image	[[Image:|left|thumb]]
Has Source On Hand	No
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Submitted by	Bruce Allardice
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