In the 1960s, Cubs' African-American Stars Became South Side Heroes
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The notion that baseball leaves a city divided couldn't be further from reality on the city's South Side.
We all know that old trope: the South Side loves the Sox; the North Side loves the Cubs. In the inverse, the two sides don't care much for the other.
In the African-American community in places like Chatham, way down past 35th and Shields, home of the White Sox, allegiance to the Cubs runs deep.
Joseph Miller's South Side upbringing included following the Cubs with his grandmother.
"She was a huge Cub fan, which kind of brought me into the mix," he said.
"She loved the Cubs. She's passed away now, but, trust me, she's up there rooting for them today."
The influence of Ernie Banks, who lived in the Chatham neighborhood, and the perception that the team treated African American players fairly helped to solidify the African-American fan base.
To hear Linnie Bedenfeld tell it: "Even my husband today talks about the Cubs being the favorite team with him and his family because they felt, I guess his father and grandfather, that the Cubs treated their black players well."
At a time of even greater racial segregation in Chicago, black athletes, even stars like Banks, didn't live downtown or on the North Side and certainly not the suburbs.
They lived in neighborhoods on the South Side, like the middle-class enclave of Chatham.
Folks would see Banks and fellow Hall Of Famers Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins in the neighborhood. That meant a lot to the young people who idolized them.
So on Wednesday, fan Joseph Miller will be rooting for the Cubs and thinking of his grandmother.
