More Than Just a Game: African American Athletes in Iowa is part of a series of Hometown Teams events.  Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street traveling exhibit “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America” will be in Mount Vernon, Iowa from March 18 to April 28, 2018.  It is one of ten related events that is scheduled while the exhibit is in Mount Vernon.

Since the late nineteenth century, African Americans have participated in a variety of sports and contributed in profound ways to Iowa’s sporting culture. African Americans experienced severe discrimination in sports as in other activities, but fought long and hard to overcome racism. In Iowa, they frequently used achievement in sports as a way to come together as a community. These countless narratives both on and off the court, field, and ring, remind us of the broader struggle for civil rights in America.

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• This event is presented by the African American Museum of Iowa.
• Attendance is free and open to the public.

Complete Schedule of Hometown Teams Events:

• Mon. March 26, 1-3 p.m. – Movie “The Final Season”
• Sat. March 31, 1:00-2:00 p.m. – More Than Just a Game: African American Athletes in Iowa
• Wed. April 4, 7-8:30 p.m. – From the Pressbox: An Eastern Iowa Sports Media Panel
• Sat. April 7, 10-11:30 a.m. – How Iowa Met Baseball: The Myths, The History, The Players
• Sat., April 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. – Coach Jim Van Scoyoc meet and greet
• Sat. April 14, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – “A Wrestling Life,” Talk and and Book Signing by Dan Gable
• Sat., April 14, 1-2:30 p.m. – Playing to Win: Kids and Sports
• Sat. April 21, 10-10:30 a.m. – Remembering 6-on-6 Gallery Talk 
• Sat. April 21, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. – Collecting Girls’ and Women’s Sport Histories in Iowa
• Sun., April 22, Noon-4 p.m. – Collecting Girls’ and Women’s Sport Histories in Iowa