Outraged at that Jackie Robinson statue destroyed in Wichita? Think about Buck O’Neil | Opinion

When I heard of the theft and destruction of a statue of Jackson Robinson in Wichita, my initial feeling was outrage. Who would stoop so low as to steal, dismantle and burn a statue of Major League Baseball’s first Black player?

I wondered: Was this a hate crime, or did vandals steal the sculpture to sell as scrap metal?

Either way, I was hot under the collar, as the saying goes. I’m sure others were just as furious.

But as he often does, Bob Kendrick took a much calmer approach to address the situation. This week, I reached out to Kendrick, president of Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. I wanted to know his reaction when he learned thieves had stolen the bronze statue from Wichita’s McAdams Park, home of League 42, a youth baseball league for young people.

The sculpture, erected just in 2021 at the front of the park, was found burned and destroyed days after it was taken in the early morning hours of Jan. 25.

Surveillance cameras captured the act and a silver SUV used in the theft was identified, the Wichita Police Department posted on its Facebook page.

As of Friday afternoon, authorities were still searching for the people responsible.

I was furious when I spoke to Kendrick. He was not. He spoke of the silver lining surrounding the theft. Donations poured in from people from all over the world, Kendrick told me. When we spoke over the phone, hundreds of thousands of dollars had been donated to League 42’s online fundraiser to replace the statue.

In his response, Kendrick channeled the spirit of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and Negro Leagues great Buck O’Neil.

“Every time you’re ready to give up on humanity, you’re reminded of something the late great Buck O’Neil said: They’re always more good people out there than bad,” Kendrick told me. “The good people have spoken.”

He was spot on.

When I last checked Friday afternoon, more than $187,000 had been raised.

Have you donated to Wichita’s League 42? On Friday, I contributed $42 to the nonprofit organization’s GoFundMe campaign to replace the stolen statue.

My contribution was symbolic of course: Robinson wore jersey No. 42. Others donated, too. You should as well.

This week, Major League Baseball announced all 30 teams would pay for a new statue. League 42 and the Kansas City Royals were actively discussing ways the hometown team could further help, according to Bob Lutz, League 42 founder and CEO.

Lutz is a former sports columnist at The Wichita Eagle, the Star’s sister publication. When we talked, the initial shock of the theft had turned into something much more positive for Lutz and League 42.

“Something like this reminds you there are many, many, many good people out there,” he said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that because we are bombarded with the bad. But this has been a perfect storm in terms of response and funding.”

With financial assistance still pouring in, the organization.will be able to rebuild the Jackie Robinson statue, the pavilion area and more, Lutz said.

League 42 is in the beginning phases of figuring out its best options to help more than 600 young players in the program, he told me.

An email I received after my donation read: “League 42 has always covered the cost of a full uniform for each kid, and equipment. Your donation also allows us to continue to offer multiple education programs at no cost to our kids.”

I am hopeful the perpetrators of this outrage will be caught. Once the statue is rebuilt, those responsible should apologize to the Wichita community.

Participants of League 42 deserve at least that.