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Aurora honors 92-year-old Negro Leagues player Dennis Biddle to kick off Black History Month
Summary
Aurora hosted 92‑year‑old Dennis Biddle, a former Chicago American Giants pitcher and one of the last surviving Negro Leagues players, to open Black History Month. Biddle described decades of work educating young people about the league’s history and is touring with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
The city of Aurora kicked off Black History Month by honoring 92‑year‑old Dennis Biddle, a former pitcher for the Chicago American Giants and one of the last surviving Negro Leagues players, who said his mission for decades has been to teach young people the history omitted from many textbooks.
“What does Black History Month mean to you?” reporter Shardae Gray asked during an interview introducing the event. Biddle replied, “When I look back all my life, the Lord put me there for him. He didn't put me there to play baseball. He put me there to do what I have been doing for the last 30 years, educate my young people and telling the true history of what really happened,” underscoring the educational focus of his visit.
Biddle is presented in the program as both a former player and an advocate. The event’s narration identifies him as a former Chicago American Giants pitcher and notes he is among the last surviving Negro Leagues players. “We got less than 10 players living today,” Biddle said, adding that he has “advocated for over 300 players in 30 years,” a claim he offered to explain the scope of his work to secure recognition for former players.
Organizers said Biddle is touring with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to share the league’s history; Aurora Alderman Will White and others invited him to the city to combine Black History Month programming with a First Friday event aimed at showcasing the city’s diversity and educating residents about the Negro Leagues.
Speakers at the event emphasized that much of the league’s story is learned through family memory rather than school textbooks. One attendee said it was “humbling” to hear history recounted directly by someone who lived it. Biddle closed his remarks by recalling that he was 17 when he first played with and against some of the game’s greatest players and expressing gratitude for the chance to share that history.
Biddle’s visit is framed as part of Aurora’s Black History Month calendar and as a public-education effort rather than a policy action. The city’s event organizers said the museum tour and public appearances are intended to raise awareness about the Negro Leagues’ role in American sports and social history.
