African Americans | Page 41

Kirby Puckett at batting practice

Kirby Puckett at batting practice, c.1994. The site that originally offered MNopedia permission to use the image, baseballtoddsdugout.com, was taken down after 2014. Originally, the image appeared at http://www.baseballtoddsdugout.com/puckettobit.html.

Kirby Puckett at bat

Kirby Puckett batting against the Baltimore Orioles during a game at Camden Yards. Photographed by Jeff Self on July 17, 1993.

Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett during the 1991 World Series.

Puckett, Kirby (1960–2006)

Kirby Puckett played twelve seasons as a center fielder for the Minnesota Twins. Known for both his playing skills and his spirit, “Puck” played a major role in rejuvenating the team and leading them to World Series victories in 1987 and 1991. Although his career was cut short by eye problems, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Thomas Lyles monument

The tombstone of African American businessman Thomas Lyles in St. Paul’s Oakland Cemetery. Photographed by Paul Nelson on April 25, 2014.

Harriet Robinson Scott and Dred Scott

Engravings of Harriet Robinson Scott (at left) and Dred Scott (at right) that appeared in the June 27, 1857, edition of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper.

Eliza and Lizzie Scott

Engraving of Eliza and Lizzie Scott that appeared in the June 27, 1857 edition of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper.

Dred and Harriet Scott in Minnesota

African Americans Dred Scott and Harriet Robinson Scott lived at Fort Snelling in the 1830s as enslaved people. Both the Northwest Ordinance (1787) and the Missouri Compromise (1820) prohibited slavery in the area, but slavery existed there even so. In the 1840s the Scotts sued for their freedom, arguing that having lived in “free territory” made them free. The 1857 Supreme Court decision that grew out of their suit moved the U.S. closer to civil war.

Credjafawn Co-op, St. Paul

Shoppers inside St. Paul's Credjafawn Co-op at 678 Rondo Avenue c.1950.

Convention of Colored Citizens program cover

Proceedings of the Convention of Colored Citizens of the State of Minnesota program, 1869. This program was presented at the first political convention black Minnesotans held after gaining the right to vote. The celebration held on January 1, 1869, in St. Paul also marked the creation of the Sons of Freedom, the first African American civil rights group in Minnesota.

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