The BUILD Seattle 90's Little League Reunion went down in style.
The players from Seattle's little league teams of the '90s came back together again for the BUILD 90's Little League Reunion 2.0. This is our 2nd time putting this event on for the community. This family-friendly event was held at Brighton Playfield, in South Seattle, with food, music, and the community to cheer on our players. The event is designed to not only celebrate great memories but also show how Black men of all ages can BUILD community and have fun while doing so.
This years' games included Black men who played for little league football in the '90s for Rainier Eagles, Rainier Beach Vikings, SWAC Cougars, and the CAYA Yellowjackets. With over 65 brothers from the community signed up to show out, a great time was had by all. BUILD was excited to bring this event back to the community as we know how many Black lives and characters were shaped by little league sports in Central, South, and West Seattle. These sports teams provided a positive outlet, mentorship, and opportunities for our Black youth then and now. Our goal was to relive those great times and have fun without any drama or violence and we successfully did that and so much more.
It was a hard-fought battle among some amazing players. In the end, the Rainier Eagles played the Rainer Beach Vikings for the championship; however, the Rainier Eagles walked away with bragging rights as this years' champion. We are excited for next year's reunion for the Eagles to defend their title against other teams.
A big thank you to the City of Seattle: Department of Neighborhoods, Parks Department, and the Office of Civil Rights for their support of BUILD. Thanks to the following Black men for their leadership organizing teams: Cedrick Alderman - Rainier Eagles, Terrell Harrison Jr. CAYA - Yellowjackets, Jareic Vanga - Rainier Beach Vikings & Paul Smith - SWAC Cougars. A special thank you to our BUILD 90's Little League Reunion event management and logistics team, Keauntea Bankhead, Guy Davis & and Dré Franklin for bringing this event back to the community.
Check out our gallery of photos from the event below.
Photo Credit: Darryl Glover of "Dancing in the Rain Media" and "Proof N The Play"