Jackie Robinson, best known for his athletic skill, was also a pioneer for civil rights in America. While serving in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas, he was court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a bus and was acquitted on all charges. After retiring from his 10 years with the Dodgers, he became one of the first Black executives in America when he was named vice president of Chock-Full-Of-Nuts Restaurants. He used his position to support human rights by fighting anti-Semitism, fundraising for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and supporting Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many political candidates. He believed a multiracial, nonpartisan approach was the way to achieve progress for others. He joined Dr. King in Birmingham, Alabama, to support the protest movement, and he and his wife, Rachel, hosted a jazz festival to raise bail money for Birmingham protesters. That annual Connecticut festival became known as “Afternoon Of Jazz.” Robinson died prematurely from complications related to diabetes at age 53 on October 23, 1972.