COLORED

At 16,
Willie Mays joined the Birmingham Black Barons
$250 per month
But Birmingham had colored water fountains
On the day he graduated from high school
He signed a $15,000 per year contract
with the New York Giants
who had no colored restrooms
In 1951 he hit .477 and was called up
to the Polo Grounds
In 2016 Birmingham installed a statue of Willie Mays
A monument to a player
who never returned to Birmingham
and colored water