Barnstorming Tour

Written By Justin Merriman
Members of the Josh Gibson All-Stars stand on the field prior to their game against the Anderson Monarchs on Friday at Manchester Field in Manchester.  The game was part of the Monarchs Barnstorming Tour, a 20-city tour to pay tribute to Jackie Robinson, the Negro League, and the Civil Rights Movement.  The teams wore Negro League uniforms with the Josh Gibson All-Stars wearing the Homestead Grays uniform and the Monarchs in their Philadelphia Star uniforms.
 Former Pittsburgh Crawfords player, Ted Toles, 89, of Warren, Ohio, poses for a portrait prior to the Josh Gibson All-Stars game against the Anderson Monarchs.
 Mo'ne Davis, the first girl to earn a win and also pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series history, a member of the Anderson Monarchs warms up prior to their game.
 The Josh Gibson All-Stars pose for a portrait before their game.
 Josh Gibson All-Stars Ben Gamboa, 13, right, and Derrick Tomlin, 13, left, sit on the bench prior to their game.
 Former Pittsburgh Crawfords player, Ted Toles, 89, of Warren, Ohio, talks with members of the Anderson Monarchs in front of their 1947 Clipper touring bus on Friday at Manchester Field.
 Josh Gibson All-Stars Isaiah Aeschbacher, 11, watches on during their game.
 Sean Gibson, executive director of the Josh Gibson Foundation and great-grandson of Josh Gibson, stands on the field prior to the Josh Gibson All-Stars game against the Anderson Monarchs.
 Marcus Dixon, 10, left, and Devaughn McClinton, 10, right, both of Manchester, watch the Josh Gibson All-Stars face the Anderson Monarchs on Friday at Manchester Field in Manchester. The boys came to the game to see Mo'ne Davis, the first girl to earn a win and also pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series history, who plays on the Anderson Monarchs.
 The Josh Gibson All-Stars join together for a team talk prior to their game against the Anderson Monarchs.
 Mo'ne Davis, the first girl to earn a win and also pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series history, a member of the Anderson Monarchs warms up prior to their game against the Josh Gibson All-Stars.
 Johnathan Washington, 2, of Manchester, cheers on his cousin who plays for the Josh Gibson All-Stars.
 The Josh Gibson All-Stars Raymond Jackson talks to fans during their game.
 The Josh Gibson All-Stars Noah Wijnen-Riems pitches against the Anderson Monarchs.
 Marquis Cobb, 4, of Manchester, watches the Josh Gibson All-Stars in their game against the Anderson Monarchs.
The Anderson Monarchs first baseman is silhouetted as the lights turn on and the sun begins to set during their game against the Josh Gibson All-Stars on Friday at Manchester Field in Manchester.
To read more about the game check out Kevin Gorman's column in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman, a freelance photojournalist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has traveled the world to cover politics, wars, natural disasters, civil unrest as well as covering assignment throughout the United States. His work has appeared in leading national publications and he has received multiple top journalism awards.   

After covering the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – including the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania – Merriman committed to chronicling the U.S. military and its war on terror.  He has followed this story across the United States and into the conflict zones of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He also has covered life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba in 2002, India’s efforts to eradicate polio from its population, the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave and election of Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution and subsequent unrest, Russia’s invasion of Crimea and the international political crisis that unfolded in Ukraine in 2014, a look inside of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in 2015 and its uncertain future, and most recently, traveled the entire U.S. border with Mexico documenting issues on immigration. 

Merriman’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and other publications across the globe. 

He has been recognized with numerous regional, national and international awards from organizations including Pictures of the Year International, Society of Professional Journalists, the National Press Photographers Association, the Society for News Design, the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, the Northern Short Course, the Southern Short Course, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Military Reporters and Editors Association, and the Western Pennsylvania Press Club. He was awarded Photographer of the Year by the News Photographer Association of Greater Pittsburgh four times and most recently was honored with the Keystone Press Award’s 2016 Distinguished Visual Award from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. 

Currently Merriman lives in Oakmont with his fiancé, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource. 

http://www.justinmerriman.com
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