HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – White Stripes frontman and Detroit native Jack White pitched in $10,000 to help restore a Negro League ballpark in Hamtramck.
The donation kick-started a campaign to fix up Hamtramck Stadium, the former home of the Detroit Stars. The historic stadium, which was built in 1930, hasn't been used since the 1990s.
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"Our hope is to preserve this very special place where my father and his teammates made history," said Rosilyn Stearnes-Brown, daughter of Detroit Stars outfielder and Hall of Famer Turkey Stearnes.
The city of Hamtramck released a predevelopment plan for the space last summer. The field would be restored for baseball, soccer and cricket games.
The campaign seeks to raise $50,000. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. will match donations up to that amount.
“As a field that’s welcomed at least 18 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, including great Negro League players like Turkey Stearnes, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, Hamtramck Stadium serves as an important reminder of African-American history here in metro Detroit and across the country," said Gary Gillette, the founder and president of Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium.
The Piast Institute and the Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium will also be involved with the project to restore one of the last remaining Negro League stadiums in the country.
Gillette said African-American history is important to the history of Detroit, and preserving the stadium is an essential part of that.
"The history of Detroit’s black community is not complete without the history of the Negro Leagues and the Detroit Stars," he said. "Norman ‘Turkey’ Stearnes and his teammates fought against segregation and discrimination both on and off the field, leaving a legacy we can help preserve by restoring Hamtramck Stadium as a community gathering place and a venue for youth sports.”
To donate to the campaign, click here.