FIGHT LIKE FORTY-TWO: A Call for Economic Withdrawal from the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. Statement from Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.




FIGHT LIKE FORTY-TWO: A Call for Economic Withdrawal from the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. Amos 5:4. 

“Just like Jackie Robinson and Jesus Christ, we will fight like 42.” Link: https://www.nbcdfw.com/video/news/call-for-change/celebrating-unity-with-project-the-positivity-night/2727129/

— Pastor Kyev P. Tatum


Statement from Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.


The City of Arlington, the City of Dallas, Major League Baseball, and the Texas Rangers are choosing inaction over integrity—failing to meet this moment with the moral courage and historical honesty it demands.


As lifelong supporters of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club, this is not a decision we make lightly. But conscience leaves us no alternative. We cannot—and will not—continue to support an organization while the Texas Rangers statue remains publicly displayed without accountability, context, or truth.


Let us be clear:

We are not calling for silence—we are calling for truth.




We are calling for the complete removal of the statue from its place of honor and its relocation to the Bullock Texas State History Museum—where history can be told fully, honestly, and responsibly.

In a museum, it becomes education. In a place of celebration, it becomes endorsement.


Right now, these institutions are choosing comfort over truth.

And when institutions fail, communities must lead.


The historical record is clear: the Texas Rangers law enforcement agency carries a deeply troubling legacy of violating the constitutional rights and human dignity of Black and Brown people. That truth cannot be ignored. It cannot be sanitized. And it cannot continue to be publicly honored without acknowledgment.




OUR RESPONSE


Until meaningful action is taken:

• We will withdraw our economic support from the Texas Rangers

• We call on all people of good will to do the same

• We stand firmly for justice, truth, and human dignity




OUR POSITION


This is not about erasing history.

It is about placing history where it can be told honestly.


And until that happens,

our stance remains firm.




MOVEMENT DECLARATION


“Just like Jackie Robinson and Jesus Christ, we will fight like 42.”

— Pastor Kyev P. Tatum




ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.

New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth

Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas


Pastor Tatum is a Fort Worth-based pastor, community leader, and civil rights advocate committed to justice, education, and historical truth. A graduate of the University of North Texas School of Community Service, he leads initiatives focused on economic empowerment, youth development, and the preservation of overlooked histories—particularly those impacting Black and Brown communities. Through the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas, he works at the intersection of faith and public policy to advance accountability, equity, and dignity for all.




CALL TO ACTION


Honor Truth. Remove the Symbol. Fight Like Forty-Two.


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