MHS Immigration and Urban History Seminar

“A barbarous practice that would not be permitted in other civilized countries”: The Evolution and Enduring Presence of the African Dodger Game at Boston-Area Amusement Venues

Mark Herlihy, Endicott College Comment: Jeff Melnick, University of Massachusetts—Boston

This paper traces the rise and enduring presence of the notorious African Dodger game, in which patrons paid a nickel for a chance to throw a ball at the head of an African American male. The game’s popularity suggests the ways in which leisure venues and special events could strengthen white working- and middle-class identity and reinforce racial hierarchies.