The next Jackie Robinson Day is Thursday, April 15, 2021.
#42 Broke the Color Barrier in Major League Baseball
Jackie Robinson #42 became the first Black player in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field on opening day April 15, 1947. The stadium was torn down in 1960 and replaced with the Ebbets Field Apartments.
Doesn’t this make you proud to be from Brooklyn?
Major League Baseball established Jackie Robinson Day in 2004.
Jackie Robinson’s Incredible Talent
It wasn’t just a matter of talent, although Robinson went on to be the 1947 Rookie of the Year, an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 – 1954, the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1949, and a World Champion with the 1955 Dodgers.
Jackie Robinson’s Character
It took a lot of courage, tremendous character actually. People who break down barriers absorb a lot of hate. Lynchings (mob hangings of innocent people) were common in the United States from the late 1870s until 1950.
We have to be twice as good in order to be accepted as equals. We have to stay calm and noble in the face of the most ridiculous and undeserved attacks.
A Great American
Major League Baseball universally retired Jackie Robinson’s #42 in 1997.
Robinson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Jackie Robinson didn’t succeed just for himself. He set an example for all of us, regardless of our heritage.
The distribution of genius is equal across all races and places. Any leader who doesn’t want to benefit from the talent of all their people is a fool.
When we are faced with fools, we can keep walking with pride knowing that we walk in the footsteps of giants like Jackie Robinson.