Author Byron Motley will present the address "The Negro Baseball Leagues - An American Legacy" at Hope College on Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

The presentation will focus on the lasting contributions made by the Negro Leagues and Negro League players, with emphasis on their impact on the Civil Rights Movement.

Byron Motley is co-author, with his father Bob, of the new book "Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants & Stars: Umpiring in the Negro Leagues & Beyond" (Sports Publishing LLC). Bob Motley umpired in the Negro Leagues for several years, and the memoir tells his story, from growing up in a segregated America, to serving in World War II as one of the first African-American Marines, to his experiences in baseball, which included working with legends such as Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Willie Mays. Byron Motley is also producing a documentary about the Negro Leagues.

Byron Motley holds a master's degree in music from the University of Southern California, and is a singer who has performed on Broadway and worked with artists including Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow and the Boston Pops Orchestra. His CD "Jazz & Cocktails," is available on Cocoa Blu Records.

The presentation is coordinated by the Hope College Black Student Union group with additional sponsorship by several other campus departments and programs.

Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., at the corner of College and 12th Street.