Day four of the Baseball Beyond Borders trip through the South was one of the most impactful. The team visited the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum, which tells the story of slavery in great detail as well as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which lists the names of individuals who were lynched throughout American history. They also were graced by the presence of Anthony Ray Hinton, who spent 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. Hinton spoke about forgiveness and love, a powerful message made more poignant by his experiences.

Day 3 of the Baseball Beyond Borders trip through the South took us out of Jackson, Mississippi and moved East to Alabama. After a quick stop in downtown Jackson, we hit the road. A stop in Selma took brought us to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of Bloody Sunday as well as other famous marches. We then travelled to Montgomery, where the team watched a Montgomery Biscuits game (the AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays).

Today brought the second and final day of the camp, which featured a 60-yard dash and a whiffle ball game in the outfield. Campers and players built on relationships formed on day one, bonding over the shared experience of baseball.

“It’s really amazing to see,” Mariners Legend Dan Wilson said. “You can see how much fun everyone is having.”

Seattle’s own Baseball Beyond Borders kicked off a four-day trip through the South, beginning with a youth baseball clinic in Jackson, Mississippi. Hosted at Jackson State University in association with the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation, the clinic brought kids aged 9-18 to learn from the Baseball Beyond Borders Senior Division All-Star Team.