Black Entrepreneurs Blocked From Buying 4.6 Acres Of Land To Develop Modern Day Negro Baseball League

Meet Cleo Arrington & Glenn Draughn, two African American entrepreneurs who submitted a proposal to buy a local baseball field in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but were blocked by the local school board. They submitted a proposal to the Nash County School Board at a board meeting in 2021 to buy the Old Rocky Mount Baseball Field. The plans were to use this site for an Independent Developmental Baseball League. The league would offer an outlet to continue playing baseball to African American baseball players that have completed their high school or college eligibility and/or those who may have encountered academic hardship, been under-recruited, or may not have been afforded the opportunity to be a part of a high school or college team. In addition, an entrepreneurship training program would engage participants with a working knowledge of the process of becoming a self-employed entrepreneur. Arrington comments, “The process of purchasing this land was tainted and compromised from the very beginning, flawed with conflict of interest and possible bid rigging. Dr. Steve Ellis, Superintendent of the Nash County School Board, Rod Malone, Council for the Nash County School Board, William (Bill) Sharpe 4th district Chair of the Nash County School Board...