DETROIT – It’s been quite a year for the new Tigers bench coach George Lombard.
Professionally, he made it to the pinnacle of his sport -- winning a world series as a 3rd base coach with the Dodgers. Personally, he’s on a journey to learn more about his mother.
Posy Lombard grew up in Massachusetts. A daughter of a Harvard Dean. She was in her senior year at Smith College in 1965. She was so moved by what happened on Bloody Sunday at the Edmund Pettis Bridge that she traveled to Selma, Alabama to protest.
She was arrested, but not deterred. Posy stayed in the South through the summer to advocate. More arrests followed. She died in a car crash when George Lombard was only 10 years old.
Throughout his life, George Lombard knew about his mother’s advocacy. But it wasn’t until George Floyd’s death and the protests against social injustice last summer that he dug deeper into his family history.
“Here we are about 50 years later and we’re fighting the same fight. Which is a bit embarrassing. But, also, we all need to wake up and understanding what’s happening,” George Lombard said.
Posy’s fight is now her son’s fight. The more he learns about how she stood up for equality, the more he’s inspired to use his platform as a major league baseball coach to affect change.