Royals honor Black History Month with free admission to Negro Leagues Museum

KANSAS CITY -- If you haven’t been to the historic Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM), or if you’ve been itching to visit again, now is the time to go.

In honor of Black History Month, the Kansas City Royals Foundation will once again provide free admission to the NLBM throughout the month of February. The museum, at 1616 East 18th St. in the heart of the city’s historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT and on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The initiative kicked off Thursday.

“We are excited to help Kansas Citians learn about the incredible story of the Negro Leagues,” Luis Maes, Royals Vice President of Community Impact, said in a statement. “It’s a story about baseball as well as American history and our struggles and progress in civil rights. The NLBM is the only museum in the world dedicated to bringing this incredible story to life and we are fortunate to have it in our backyard.”

This is the third year the Royals have footed the bill for museum-goers’ tickets in February. The foundation paid $120,000 last year after more than 14,000 people visited the NLBM, the Royals said.

“We are thrilled that the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Royals Foundation are once again providing admission to the museum free of charge for the entire month of February,” NLBM president Bob Kendrick said. “The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is a tremendous educational resource and is one of the nation’s most important Civil Rights and Social Justice institutions. We hope that students and adults alike will take advantage of this generous gesture to learn how America’s unsung baseball heroes helped change the game and America too.”