American Historical Ephemera and Photography

Typed letter on "African-American Students Foundation, Inc." letterhead with facsimile signatures of Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson, and Sidney Poitier, requesting funds to support "Air Lift Africa" (later nicknamed the "Kennedy Airlift"). Inscription in maroon crayon or pencil to upper portion reads, "Would some of these students be good on T.V?" Letter addressed to "Miss Kennedy" and accompanied by "Business Reply Mail" envelope addressed to Jackie Robinson at the office of the African-American Students Foundation, Inc.

The Kennedy Airlift, so-called for the arrangement of a $100,000 donation from the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation by John F. Kennedy, was a program by which students from East Africa were brought to North America to attend colleges and universities in Canada and the United States on scholarship. The program lasted from 1959-1963 and was spearheaded by Tom Mboya, a Kenyan man who solicited scholarships for the students and helped to identify which students would be airlifted.

[With:] Original official scorecard for exhibition game held at Birmingham's Rickwood Field on April 2, 1954 with additional insert of rosters for both teams (toning).

On April 2, 1954, fans settled in to watch the first of two exhibition games which saw the Brooklyn Dodgers go up against the Milwaukee Braves. This particular game violated Birmingham's city code, section 597, which expressly prohibited whites from playing in the same game as blacks - a code that Commissioner of Public Safety "Bull" Connor was determined to enforce at all costs. Excitement for the game was so high, however, that for one of the first times in Birmingham sports history white fans sat amongst black fans. Connor was forced to stand down, the game proceeded as normal, and the Brooklyn Dodgers as led by Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella bested the Braves by 7-6. Within a week of this game a young player named Henry "Hank" Aaron would make his debut as a Milwaukee Brave against the Cincinnati Reds.