Dear Thomas Jefferson,

 

When we were talking about enslaved people and the impact slavery had on this country, we did not discuss how long it would take people in this country to accept freedom and human rights for everyone.

 

In 1957, the New York Giants baseball team moved to San Francisco.  It was front page news all over the country.  Willie Mays was 27 years old, and he was a spectacular center-fielder on that team.  The fans called him ‘The Say Hey Kid.’  The fans loved him, but they did not want him to live in their neighborhood.

 

When Mays tried to buy a house in San Francisco, he ran into what was then called ‘the color barrier.’  Willie Mays Is Denied S.F. House—Race Issue screamed the headlines of The San Francisco Chronicle on November 14, 1957. Mays had tried to buy a house on Miraloma Drive, adjoining St Francis Wood.  His offer to pay the full asking price, $37,500, was turned down by the owner because of the color of his skin.  He also tried to buy a house in Hillsborough on Barbara Way and was also barred from that sale.

 

As a country, things like that are not supposed to happen anymore. 

 

As a country, we are still having trouble with systemic race issues. 

 

What do you think of a famous sports hero being cheered on the field and then being unable to find a place to live?

 

Sincerely,

Katy Dalgleish