Sports cards offer windows to Black History Month

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — For Eric Burks, Black history is more than just a month.

Each card in his shop offers a tiny 2.5 by 3.5 inch window into the past.

"I think [the cards] just showed we were finally getting the opportunity," Burks said.

Burks4263 Sportscards includes almost every Black sports icon a fan could think of — from Hank Aaron and Willie Mays to modern stars like Lebron James and Patrick Mahomes.

"It's nice to see that over time, we're breaking more and more of those barriers down" Burks said. "I may say something, but it may not reach like if LeBron says it or Giannis Antetokounmpo says it or Andrew McCutcheon in baseball or someone like that."

Sports stars have often been at the forefront of civil rights from Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball to James' modern day activism.

"Now [Black athletes of the past] are starting to get more respect," Burks said. "But at that point in time, they just weren't because of the color issue."

Burks displays and sells these glimpses into history, hoping to inspire a conversation on who an athlete was on and off the field.

"It's not: 'look at me because I'm Black,'" Burks said. "No, it's: 'look at the issues because we're Black.'"