Baseball integration is the story of more than just one man and one season.

Effa Manley co-owned the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. She managed travel arrangements, finances, and player contracts, made player decisions, and even managed the finances of the entire league. In a time when women were not visible in baseball, she was a force. She was also a civil rights activist and community leader.

She led her team through the Depression and a World War, won a Negro championship in 1946 with a team that could have beaten any team in baseball at that time, and when integration came to baseball was not afraid to speak up to powerful men like Branch Rickey, Bill Veeck, and Jackie Robinson to insist that the contributions of the Negro Leagues be acknowledged.

She was a tireless advocate for preserving the history of Negro League baseball and it is in large part thanks to her that players received recognition later in life. Effa herself is the only woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

With acknowledgement to our friends the History Chicks for use of their format, today we tell you the story of this remarkable woman and the untold story behind black baseball and baseball integration. We hope you enjoy it.