by Kayla Hernandez, graduate student at the School of Information Studies at UW-Milwaukee
This summer, I have been working at America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) to digitize several collections. The collection that I spent the most time working on is their brand new Beckum-Stapleton Little League collection. ABHM is working alongside a provider to house these materials for future use. While housing these materials, a digital collection was born, as was a quintessential example of community-based museum partnerships.
The Beckum-Stapleton Little League was founded by James Beckum and Charles Stapleton in 1964. The original purpose of this league was to serve Milwaukee youth by developing a sense of community through baseball, and this vision continues today. A large part of their mission is to be a source of mentorship for little league members.
James Beckum was known to uphold special care for the little league’s facilities, spending early mornings and late nights tending to the diamonds. He worked closely with the Milwaukee Brewers to provide opportunities for his players to learn from the professionals and built strong relationships with various community members. Since its foundation, the league has served over 25,000 children and is the “oldest urban little league” in the United States (Luhrssen, 2025). Mr. Beckum passed away in November of 2024 at the age of 95, but his legacy lives on through the league’s continued success.
A great part about building a digital collection like this is the educational opportunity it brings. As a teacher myself, I know firsthand the challenge of engaging students in subjects for which they have little personal interest. With the Beckum-Stapleton Little League, teachers can use the subjects of baseball, softball, or sports in general to engage students in learning about a successful youth sports program happening in their own backyard. In addition, knowing one’s local history can be an important part of developing pride in one’s community. Despite all the hardships that children of Milwaukee may face, becoming aware of this valuable local group could be the inspiration for them to make their own positive impact on the Milwaukee community.
ABHM has put their relationships with material providers at the forefront of the Beckum-Stapleton Little League collection. These materials are not currently owned by the museum, and museum staff are ensuring that those who do own the materials have full disclosure of how the materials are being digitized.
Owners of collection materials have complete control over how public or private the materials are on the web. Providing this special access and management for providers of collection materials is something that all museums should consider in building their collections. Not only does this strengthen relationships with locals, but it also demonstrates a way that citizens can participate in developing city archives.
For more information about this collection or others at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, please visit their website at www.abhmuseum.org.
Kayla Hernandez is a graduate student intern working with America’s Black Holocaust Museum as part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative. For more information about this program, visit our website or contact vicki [at] wils.org.
