Juneteenth

FHHS-HPC Third Annual Juneteenth Celebration

Sponsored by the Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium (FHHS) and the Hamtramck Parks Conservancy (HPC) Hamtramck Stadium had its FHHS-HPC Third Annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 19, 2024, on Norman “Turkey” Stearnes Field at Historic Hamtramck Stadium.

Michigan State Rep. Helena Scott was the keynote speaker and Governor Gretchen Whitmer appeared and signed House Bill 4519 into legislation on the field to officially make May 2nd, “Negro Leagues Day” in Michigan and honor the legacy and contributions of those who played in the Negro Leagues. In collaboration with the Negro Leagues Family Alliance (NLFA) we hope to celebrate this day at all the Major League Ballparks and have their teams wear the Negro Leagues teams’ uniforms, hold events about their history and recognize the families and players in their cities just like on “Jackie Robinson Day.”

Michigan State Representative Abraham Alyash of Hamtramck and Vanessa Ivy Rose, NLFA and FHHS Vice Chair also spoke at this event and remarks were by Gary Gillette, FHHS Founder and Board Chair and Tom Habitz, HPC Executive Director.

The Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities(RBI )Tribute game was between the Tigers Nike Program’s 15U and 18U teams under the direction of Matthew Williams, Detroit Tigers Community Impact Manager for Sport Participation and Growth. It was played to hone their skills, experience competitive play and function together as a team.

Rosilyn Stearnes-Brown and Joyce Stearnes Thompson, daughters of Turkey Stearnes sang the black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and the national anthem, “The Star- Spangled Banner.”