The beloved icon legacy continues shining to date
On April 15th, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto the Ebbets Field grass and changed history as we know it. Last Monday, April 15th, 2024, the baseball community celebrated this achievement as they marked the 77th anniversary of his debut on the field.
Jackie Robinson was allowed to break the color barrier, making him the first African American player in the MLB, in a sport that was largely white due to the prevailing political climate during that time.
The color line, also known as the color barrier, kept black African descent players out of Major League Baseball and its minor leagues until 1947. Some folks in pro baseball called this racial segregation a "gentlemen's agreement," which basically meant it was an unspoken rule since there wasn't any official policy against it in the big leagues nor any official acknowledgment of the same.
Jackie was born in Cairo, Georgia in a working-class family. They moved to Pasadena, California where he was eventually raised and spent the majority of his childhood there. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he lettered in four sports namely: football, basketball, baseball, and track.
Robinson was drafted into the military but was court-martialed for refusing to sit at the back of a segregated Army bus which led him to be honourably discharged.
After his time in the military, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues, a professional baseball league mainly comprised of African American teams due to the prevailing laws of that time.
After his success there, the then Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey signed Robinson, and the legendary baseball player started for Montreal where he crossed the color line and integrated the International League. A huge feat at that time.
During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the first Rookie of the Year Award in 1947. He was an All-Star for six seasons from 1949 to 1954. He won the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored.
Robinson went on to excel in six World Series games, contributing significantly to the Dodgers' triumph in the 1955 World Series. In 1997, Major League Baseball instituted a mandate prohibiting the use of the No. 42 jersey by any other player, formalizing this decision across all teams. Additionally, the establishment of "Jackie Robinson Day" on April 15, 2004, marked a pivotal moment in baseball history, as every player on every team now dons the distinguished No. 42 jersey on this commemorative day and the tradition continues to date.
In addition to his stellar performance in the field, Jackie went on to excel in other fields. He was active in the Civil Rights Movement that sought to end legal racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country through non-violent means and resistance.
He was also the first Black TV analyst in MLB appearing on ABC’s Major League Baseball Game of the Week and the first Black vice president of a major American corporation which was a chain of coffee shops.
In recognition of his achievements, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Two of the highest forms of national appreciation and civilian awards for distinguished achievements and contributions by people or institutions. MLB also retired his number 42 which became the title of the movie about his breakthrough.
Jackie Robinson who died on Oct 24th, 1972 is survived by his wife Rachel Robinson who will be 102 years old on July 19th, 2024, two living children, twelve grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. We honor Jackie’s legacy today in the world of baseball.