2023 Giant Steps and Hall of Fame Gala
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1955 Pensacola Jaycees and Orlando Kiwanis Little League Teams, Barrier Breakers


​On August 16, 1955, the Pensacola Jaycees were the first all-black Little League team to play the Orlando Kiwanis an all-white Little League team. In 1955 when racial segregation defined the south, two groups of twelve-year-old boys stepped onto a baseball field in an act of cultural defiance that changed the course of history.

More than 60 years later, the players explored how this game changed their lives and why it was more than just a game. A documentary film, Long Time Coming, was produced and featured the players who were there that day on the field. In addition to sharing the story, The players speak about their experiences before, during, and after the game. They go on to share some of their lives experiences surrounding race throughout the span of their lives.

Following the release of the movie, the players came together to see each other for the first time in 60 years near the field in which they played this monumental game.

  • Giant Steps Gala
  • Institute
  • National STUDENT-Athlete Day
  • 2022 Gala Pictures
  • 2022 Sponsors
  • Hall of Fame
  • Previous Honorees
  • test