Hundreds of people gathered Friday for the formal reopening of Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson. After decades of neglect, a major makeover means the iconic stadium is ready to host its first professional baseball game in more than 70 years Saturday.
“It stumbled and fell and hurt and struggled. It became an eyesore. But yet, just like this nation, there are people that refuse to stop believing,” said Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
Hinchliffe Stadium has been the home of races and boxing matches, but it’s most famous as a stadium for Negro League baseball. People at Friday’s reopening emphasized how important it was for local advocates to fight and preserve this piece of history, since only one other Negro League stadium is still standing.
“We need to remember, little kids need to know. They need to understand. And there’s not a color in this country that doesn’t participate in our collective history. So these are the reasons, because places like this will disappear if we keep shoving them under the rug,” said Whoopi Goldberg, actress and West Orange resident.
