April Brown, November 29, 2022

Item

Title
April Brown, November 29, 2022
interviewee
April Brown
interviewer
Taylor Klauk
Date
2022-11-29
Subject
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
American Cancer Society
Baseball
Brooklyn, New York
Career
Civil Rights Movement
Community
COVID-19
Dodgers
Jackie Robinson
Major League Baseball
March of Dimes
Roberto Clemente
The Boys and Girls Club of America
Queens, New York
Willie Mays
Description
April Brown grew up surrounded by baseball. Raised in Queens, Brown shares many memories with her grandfather over baseball, recalling that games were often "on in the background." Brown was raised on the principle of service and helping others. Her mother was a social worker who worked in adoption and foster care for New York City, and she spent much of her childhood in the church community and volunteering. When Ms. Brown went to pursue her bachelor's degree at nearby Binghamton University in psychology, she became a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority; the mission and the values of which are: service to all mankind.

Ms. Brown now holds the position of Vice President of Social Responsibility and Community Engagement at Major League Baseball, combining her love of service and her memories of her grandfather and baseball. Ms. Brown works with MLB's top philanthropic partners, such as the American Cancer Society and the March of Dimes, as well as leading MLB's own campaigns and initiatives, like Play Ball! and the forthcoming youth mental health and wellness campaign.

In her interview, Ms. Brown reminisces on family stories of seeing Jackie Robinson play for the Dodgers, discusses the barriers to baseball for children, and explains why diversity and representation are crucial for baseball moving forward. I have made appropriate edits from the original audio dialogue to account for the natural flow of conversation, as well as removed unnecessary vocal additives and repetitive language.
Time Summary
Track 1, 6:11 - Women in Baseball
Track 1, 14:33 - Representation in Baseball
Track 1, 23:36 - Jackie Robinson
Track 1, 30:38 - Future of Baseball
Track 1, 34:40 - Leadership
Track 1, 39:47 - Community Engagement
Track 1, 42: 01 - Major League Baseball Office
Creator
Taylor Klauk
Publisher
Cooperstown Graduate Program, State University of New York at Oneonta
Rights
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, NY
Language
en-US
Identifier
22-009