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On April 15 th Major League Baseball and fans worldwide celebrated Jackie Robinson
Day, commemorating the life and legacy of one of the greatest men to ever play the
game. The African American player, known for breaking the color barrier during racial
segregation in 1947, played in the league for 10 years.
His record was impressive—Rookie of the Year, National League MVP, six-time All-Star,
known for his daring base running and clutch hitting. Added to his athletic prowess,
Robinson was a civil rights pioneer, who refused to give up his seat on a Texas bus in
July 1944. He served in World War II, and was honorably discharged in November
1944.
Jackie Robinson Day has been acknowledged every year since 2004, and signifies the
day he played his first major league game at Ebbets Field for the then-Brooklyn
Dodgers. He is the only player whose jersey (Number 42) was retired by every team in
the MLB, and is worn by every MLB player on his special day.
As great as he was a man, player, and role model, his military legacy was almost
erased from history. The Trump administration recently had his military background
scrubbed from the Department of Defense’s website, asserting that it was against the
new policy that bans special consideration in hiring based on color, gender or military
status, known as DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion). After public outrage, the
administration had the information restored.
Speaking on the importance of Jackie Robinson Day, Los Angeles Lakers great Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar told reporters, sitting next to Robinson’s statue at Dodger Stadium,
“Trump wants to get rid of DEI, and I think it’s just a ruse to discriminate.” Of course,
there was no DEI when Robinson earned his place in history.
Fortunately, Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson, who founded the Jackie Robinson
Foundation and opened New York’s Jackie Robinson Museum in 2022, knows the
importance of teaching Black history to younger generations.
“We got a very strong directive from Rachel Robinson to make sure that we brought
young people in,” said Della Britton, longtime president and CEO of the Jackie
Robinson Foundation. “She wanted them very much to know the history. She wanted
them to know how much her husband was in support of opportunities for everyone,
regardless of whence they came.”
Now, 102, Mrs. Robinson is still actively involved in the foundation and her husband’s
legacy, ensuring no one will ever forget Number 42 and the many contributions he made
to the sport he loved, as well as to humanity.
