”Joe Black: More Than A Dodger” with Martha Jo Black

“I pray that my Dad knew how much I loved and respected him. I am very blessed to be able to say that Joe Black was my father.”  -Martha Jo Black

When Joe Black was in high school, a Major League scout told him that the color of his skin would keep him out of the big leagues.  But in 1952, at the age of 28, he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  In the face of segregation, verbal harassment, and even death threats, Joe Black became Jackie Robinson’s roommate and rose to the top of his game; he was named National League Rookie of the Year and became the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game.  With the same tenacity he showed in his baseball career, Black became the first African-American vice president of a transportation corporation when he went to work for Greyhound.

Martha Jo Black is the daughter of Joe Black.  She lives in Chicago, where she works for the Chicago White Sox.

Joe Black: More Than A Dodger.  Listen in to our intimate Clubhouse conversation with Martha Jo Black from a March evening, where she shared stories of the father she knew and loved...