Two baseball greats shared powerful firsthand accounts of perseverance as part of a panel discussion about the history and impact of the Negro Leagues, held at Suffolk County Community College’s Shea Theatre.

An estimated 70 to 80 visitors–including students from Longwood High School’s “My Brother’s Keeper” program–attended the event, which featured Pedro Sierra, who played in the Negro Leagues in the 1950s, and former New York Yankees All-Star and World Series champion Roy White. The two spoke alongside clips from the documentary “The League,” which chronicles the rich yet often overlooked history of Black baseball in America.

Fabio Montella, associate professor of library services on the Eastern campus and a local baseball historian, and Chris Vaccaro, president and executive director of the Suffolk County Sport Hall of Fame, were also panelists.

The event was organized through the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in collaboration with Jill Santiago, director of the Center for Social Justice and Human Understanding, and Montella.

“I’ve been studying Negro Leagues for quite a while, and there are strong connections here on Long Island,” Montella said. “Teams barnstormed through the area and played some of our semi-professional teams.”

Throughout the discussion, the former athletes reflected on their personal experiences playing in the South–particularly during a time when racism and prejudice were running rampant.