Josh Gibson was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His great-grandson, Sean, looks to preserve that legacy for all to remember.

In this episode of the Journey of My Mother’s Son podcast, I speak with Sean Gibson, who is the great-grandson of Negro League great and baseball Hall of Famer, Josh Gibson. He is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Josh Gibson Foundation.

The cornerstone of the Josh Gibson Foundation is the improvement of the lives of young people. Over the past years, the foundation’s vision of ensuring that the youth of its community remember the legacy of Josh Gibson while providing opportunities that will improve their lives has made significant progress. Through exposure to life skills coaching and educational support, the Josh Gibson Foundation has become an instrument for positive change in the Pittsburgh community; however, the next step in the journey – the Josh Gibson Academy – has yet to be fulfilled.

Creating a safe haven where future legends can focus on preparing for college, successful careers, and learning the game of baseball, requires dedicated facilities. Funding, staffing and opening the Josh Gibson Academy is the next focus of the Josh Gibson Foundation.

Considered one of the greatest home run hitters, most feared sluggers of any era, and called by many “the Black Babe Ruth”, Josh Gibson left an undeniable legacy of greatness and accomplishment. To honor that legacy of achievement, the surviving family members established a private, non-profit foundation in 1994. The goal of the foundation is to provide the type of access that Josh Gibson never enjoyed with the creation of facilities and baseball fields dedicated to the youth of the Pittsburgh community. The Josh Gibson Foundation has evolved into an organization dedicated to providing a variety of academic and athletic programs that allow the next Josh Gibson to reach his or her potential. In addition, another goal is the establishment of the Josh Gibson Negro League Museum. Because preserving a heritage of achievement helps inspire the accomplishments of tomorrow.

We talk about the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, the legacy of Josh Gibson, and race relations in America today.

Both the video and audio only versions are available via the links below: