KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Stars and producers of the film “42” arrived at Thursday’s night’s screening, along with current and former professional baseball players, city leaders and some of the men who played in the Negro Leagues back in the 1950s.
The number “42” represents a man who changed history — Jackie Robinson.
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“The courage that it took to change society is something that young people should experience,” Chadwick Boseman said. “We haven’t completely slayed the dragon of racism, so you we’re celebrating what he did and what we did, but there’s still more work to do.”
Fans were delighted to see that Robinson’s perseverance celebrated.
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“Jackie Robinson didn’t just change baseball, Jackie Robinson changed America,” longtime Royals fan Lance Otto said.
The screening was a family affair — one that reached even deeper for Heather Anderson Feagans, whose father went to high school with actor Harrison Ford, who stars in the film.
“We lost my dad about 13 years ago to leukemia, so I always kind of watch Harrison Ford to see about what my dad might look like,” she said.
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She came hoping for a special moment with Ford, but not expecting much.
“We’d love it if he would just give me a snippet of anything he remembers of him would be awesome.”
What she and her sister got was priceless. Ford signed her Father’s yearbook decades after doing it the first time.
Anderson Feagans said not only did Ford remember their father, they now have a new chance to preserve his memory.
“We’re gonna go call our mom, she’ll get a kick out of it.”
So while celebrities came out for one reason — fans walked away with a variety of memories, all in celebration of number 42.
