IDKMYDE: Monrovians vs KKK

On todays episode of IDKMYDE we go to 1925, when the all-Black Wichita Monrovians stepped up to the plate against the KKK’s baseball team—and not only did they win, they turned America’s favorite pastime into a civil rights flex. Proof that the best way to shut down hate is to outplay it.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have y'all ever heard about the Wichita Monrovians. Well, on
today's episode, if I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.
Let me take you back to nineteen twenty five. Picture
this an all black baseball team taking on the KKK
in Kansas. I'm talking about a real game, bats balls, bigotry,
all on the same field. Sit back so I can

(00:22):
share the most gangster sports story you'd never heard in
your life. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know.
I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I
didn't know. Now, the Monrovians, not the Moravians. The Moravians
are members of the Moravian Church. The Monrovians refers to

(00:44):
the baseball team named after Monrovia, Liberia. They were the
Wichita Monrovians, and it was a Negro league baseball team
in the nineteen twenties, and they used to put belt
to ass. But let me say the scene. It's June,
it's hottest fish grease hundred and two degrees in the shade,
and these brothers roll up to play against the ku

(01:04):
Klux Klan's own baseball team. Now, first of all, I
ain't even know the KKK had a baseball team. You
mean to tell me these foods got time to hate
and learn how to bunch. How you multitasking your racism
and get this. Both teams agreed to bring in two
Irish Catholic umpires, but Catholics was on the Klans hit

(01:25):
list too, So basically everybody on that field knew they
were playing for more than just runs. This was about
proving something. It was black excellence versus white supremacy, and
y'all know, damn well, excellence always got a better bat
and average. So both the game starts and that's a
straight up dog fight, great pitching back and forth. But

(01:46):
then the Monrovians got hot. They came through with them
clutch hits, slid in the bases like they was dodging
Jim Crow loss. By the end, Monrovians win ten to eight.
They didn't just beat the Klan, they in bare. Can
you imagine a post game plan meeting, now, brother, Jebidah,
you said you could pinch. You had them colors out
there smacking balls laughing, right, Jebidah, we might have to

(02:10):
take your white card. Jebidaih. Now you might think, what's
the big deal, just a baseball game, but Nah, this
was deeper than that. This is nineteen twenty five. It
wasn't just about sports. This was about black folks standing tall,
staring oppression right in the face and saying, we'll beat
you at your own game. And they did. Now, fast

(02:30):
forward to today, what's the lesson. We still swinging, y'all.
Every time we excel in places that they said we couldn't.
We're still channeling that Monrovian spirit. So the next time
someone tries to play you, just remember, if the Monrovians
can beat the Klan in nineteen twenty five, you can
handle Karen in Hr On Monday. You didn't time mine

(02:51):
because I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either, I didn't know.