This is 30 years of me advocating for the living players of the Negro baseball.

At American Family Field in Milwaukee, Dennis Bidd and the Milwaukee Brewers held Negro League tribute night, a salute to Negro League players and the work done to recognize their service to the game of baseball.

Little, a former Negro League pitcher at 17 years old, is also an author and speaker who has used his platform to advocate for all Negro League players to be recognized historically and financially.

That includes those who played in the Negro Leagues before and after Major League Baseball's infamous color barrier was broken in 1947.

Little credits the Brewers organization for supporting his work from the beginning.

These are players that was too old to go in when Jackie opened the door.

They got little or no recognition for their achievement.

Uh I started this in 1996.

That time it was over over 300 players delivered.

Now it's down to less than 20.

Thanks to the major league last year, they finally recognizes the players of the Negro League equal to the major league.

So I'm grateful for that.

Major League Baseball agreed to provide living former Negro League players with pensions and recognized league statistics as Major League records.

Even now that they've finally gotten that recognition, the Brewers continue to make this an annual event.

The Negro Leagues are part of the fabric and history of Major League Baseball.

They're now their stats are part of the official record of Major League Baseball.

So all the great players, Satchel Paige, all those guy great guys are now part of the official record books.

And again, it's it's a reminder to people of this generation what the past generation did and how they were deprived an opportunity to play in Major League Baseball, even though they had the talent and all the skills to do it.

And because of the color of their skin, they were denied this opportunity.

So, you know, obviously everybody knows about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, but there's a whole paniply of great major league player caliber people who never got the chance, and I think we want to remember them and recognize them.

I don't come here but once a year.

Oh, sometimes two or three times.

He does.

I come once a year for the Negro League game.

Fans who came got to experience a night of celebrating baseball history in Milwaukee with blackowned vendors, music, artwork, and tributes to some of those who paved the way.

A few of the fans talked about the importance of passing that history down to their children.

This is the game that we know we started.

We had a lot to do with it.

And the input was just magnificent.

And I come so I can see, remember, and just I have grandkids around here that I brought so they can remember.

We have just pieces of every part of history.

And this is just one of many.

Just to watch the game is cool.

My daughters play softball.

Uh but then for them to understand like the difference between the Negro League and understanding who Sacho Page was and Jackie Robinson uh was just super super important too.

Little who still travels around the country to talk about the history of Negro League Baseball has his own message for younger generations.

I want my young people to know the real truth.

Jackie was not the first.

He was not the best.

He was just one of us that did something at that time none of us could have done.

He opened the door.

I think about those old men who missed their calling, who was better than Jackie, a ball for ball playing.

You know, I'm the living person that they felt they would carry this history on, tell the real truth.

And that's what I've done.

That's what I'm going to continue to do long as I can.