Google Doodle honors Toni Stone, first woman to play in a men’s major baseball league
overcame gender and racial discrimination to become the first woman in history to play professional baseball in a men’s major baseball league. The Doodle is also in honor of Black History Month, which falls every year in February and celebrates the accomplishments and history of members of the Black community within the United States.
“Toni was a trailblazer, a Black woman doing things she’s not expected to do, whether the world likes it or not,” said Monique Wray, the San Francisco-based artist behind the Doodle, in a release by Google.
Stone was born in West Virginia during an era of pronounced racial segregation in American sports. When she was 10, her parents invited a Catholic priest to dissuade Stone from playing baseball. Instead, the priest asked her to join his team, the St. Peter Clavers, in a Catholic league, according to BlackPast, a reference center dedicated to providing information to the general public on African American history.
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“Toni’s gift was to play sports, and she is celebrated today because she fought to play in a mens’ baseball club in Minnesota. With the help of her priest who spoke to the baseball club’s coach, Toni got into the club,” Maria Bartlow, Stone’s niece, told Google. “During Toni’s career, she suffered humiliating prejudices from the audience and her teammates. However, she never let that stop her from playing baseball.”
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