The eighth and final talk in the Hoboken Historical Museum’s #NJWomenMakeHistory series will take place Sunday, Dec. 13, at 4 pm, featuring legendary local Maria Pepe, who broke the gender barrier in Little League baseball in 1972, paving the way to a decision in 1974 officially allowing girls to play in Little League. (details and registration link below)

#NJWomenMakeHistory is an eight-part lecture series focusing on New Jersey women who made their mark on history, as part of New Jersey’s celebration of the centennial of women’s right to vote. From groundbreaking photographer Dorothea Lange, to gender barrier-breaking baseball player Maria Pepe, both Hoboken natives, the series covers women who made history in a variety of spheres, including politics, finance, philanthropy, art, poetry and sports.

All programs will be live streamed on Zoom, and replayed later on the Museum’s YouTube channel. To attend in person, face masks, hand hygiene and social distance guidelines will be observed. All talks are free to attend, thanks to a generous grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Reservations are required for in-person and online participation. Visit https://bit.ly/NJWomenMakeHistory to reserve a spot.

Tickets

On Sunday, Dec. 13, at 4 pm, Barbara Bravo will interview Hoboken’s own legendary local, Maria Pepe, who joined her local Little League team as a pitcher for three games before the League objected and forced the team to cut her. The League had officially banned girls since 1951, but Hoboken’s Young Democrats team coach Jimmy Farina knew a hot arm when he saw one and started Maria any way. After three games, the League threatened to pull the team’s charter, and she had to be cut from the team.

The National Organization for Women heard about the story and teamed up with the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights to file a suit, claiming Little League was discriminating against Pepe for being a girl. The judge ruled in Maria’s favor, but the Little League filed an appeal. Ultimately, the decision was upheld, and by 1974, girls were allowed to play in Little League teams across the nation. However, by then, Maria had aged out of eligibility, but she had blazed the trail for hundreds of thousands of girls to live their dreams of playing baseball.

Barbara Bravo has helped organize local baseball tournaments for girls, under the umbrella of “Baseball for All,” a nonprofit organized by Major League coach Justine Siegal. 

Visit the Museum’s YouTube channel for archived events.

In addition to a generous Action Grant of $16,500 from the NJ Council for the Humanities to fund this lecture series, the Hoboken Historical Museum received a $5,000 COVID-19 grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal CARES Act. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this [publication, program, exhibition, film, etc.] do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.