Okay, so, the other day I got this idea to watch a show about some guy named Mays. I didn’t know who he was, just saw the title “A Man Named Mays” and thought, why not? I figured it was some old TV special from back in the day. Turned out it was from 1964, and I was pretty hyped to see what it was all about.
First off, I started by finding this video online. It was like, 51 minutes long and in black and white, which is kind of cool and retro. This guy, Charlie Einstein, was narrating the whole thing. I dug into it, and it felt like I was stepping back in time. This Mays guy seemed pretty important, but I had no clue why at first.
So I kept digging. I found out that this Mays dude was actually Benjamin Mays, a big-time educator and a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. Can you believe it? I was watching a show about a guy who was super close to one of the biggest names in history! He was the president of Morehouse College for like, 27 years. That’s a long time to be running a college.
I got even more curious, so I started looking up more stuff about him. Turns out, Benjamin Elijah Mays was a minister and a huge advocate for justice. The guy was born in 1894 and lived until 1984, and his life was all about fighting for African American rights. He was the son of former slaves, which just blew my mind even more. Imagine growing up in that situation and then becoming such an influential figure.
But then my brain took a little detour. I somehow ended up reading about the OxiClean guy, Billy Mays. Totally different Mays, but I got sucked into reading about his life too. He was born in 1958 and died in 2009. It’s weird how one name can lead you down so many different paths, right?
Anyway, back to Benjamin Mays. I learned that he was a baseball legend too. The man was a 24-time All-Star, won the National League MVP twice, and had 12 Gold Glove awards. He finished his career with some insane stats – 660 home runs, 3,283 hits, and 1,903 runs batted in. Just incredible! This guy was not just an academic, he was a sports superstar.
And there’s more! Mays faced housing discrimination back in the day. In 1957, he tried to buy a house in San Francisco, and the realtor refused to sell it to him just because he was Black. This made front-page news. I mean, can you imagine being one of the best baseball players ever, and still dealing with that kind of crap?
What I really took away from all this is how much one person can do in their lifetime. This guy Mays was an educator, a mentor, a civil rights leader, and a sports icon. He did so much and faced so many challenges, but he just kept pushing forward. It’s people like him that really make you think about what you’re doing with your own life.
So yeah, that’s how I spent my day, learning about “A Man Named Mays.” It started as a random curiosity and turned into this whole journey through history, civil rights, and baseball. Pretty wild, huh? It just goes to show you that sometimes the most interesting stories come from the most unexpected places. Social media gave me the opportunity to know him and this world.
The thing about this whole experience is, it makes you realize how interconnected everything is. One minute you’re watching an old TV special, the next you’re reading about Martin Luther King Jr., and then you’re diving into baseball history. Life’s a trip, man.
- Exploration: Started with a simple curiosity about an old TV special.
- Discovery: Learned about Benjamin Mays’ role as an educator and civil rights figure.
- Digression: Got sidetracked by reading about the OxiClean guy, Billy Mays.
- Deep Dive: Delved into Mays’ baseball career and his struggles with discrimination.
- Reflection: Realized the impact one person can have and the interconnectedness of history.
It’s these kinds of rabbit holes that make life interesting, you know? You never know where a simple question or a random video will lead you. And sometimes, it can be pretty damn inspiring.
