SYNOPSIS:

RJ Jackson, 14 year old Black boy and his mom, Cicely move from California to rural Georgia while his father Ray Jackson is stationed oversees.  New to prejudice, RJ battles at school to see where he belongs.  Accused by Black kids as too White and the White kids as "uppidy," he struggles.   Tragedy hit as Ray dies in a training exercise.  RJ is distraught and angry.  The friendship he forges with his neighbor Cordell Berger, 14 year old white boy, is his saving grace.  However, Cordell's father, Lyle is a bigot, who is against the relationship.  When baseball season starts, RJ finds out what systemic racism involves - none of the Black boys are selected to the Babe Ruth league, instead regulated to the lower level Pony League.   This discrimination creates a gap in the boys relationship, as Cordell is on his father's Ruth league team - the Braves.  RJ challenges Cordell to follow his conscious, which causes Cordell to quit the team unless they change their policy.  Things change when Cicely saves Cordell in a life threatening accident.  The incident softens Lyle and when he asks Cordell what can he do, Cordell responds - "Put RJ on the Braves. RJ joins the team and the dynamic duo of Hammer and Hustle (RJ and Cordell) leads the Braves to the county championship game.  An exciting game goes into the bottom of the 9th, with Cordell getting the game winning hit and RJ scoring the winning run.  

THE WHITE DIAMOND