Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson became the first African-American to break the modern-day Major League Baseball color barrier, and his extraordinary baseball skills, appealing personality, intelligence, and courage helped make that achievement possible. By breaking the baseball color barrier, he challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South. His leadership opened doors for other minorities in professional sports and the corporate world. In 1997, on the 50th anniversary of this event, he was honored as a man who stood defiantly against those opposing racial equality and whose life profoundly influenced American culture. At his retirement, Brooks Lawrence of the Cincinnati Reds, a former Negro Leaguer, praised him for opening the door wide for those who followed. After retiring from baseball, Robinson actively supported human rights, fought anti-semitism, and raised funds for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior. He died in 1972, the 25th anniversary of his rookie season, while still working to promote Blacks across sports and culture.

Daytona Beach, Florida · United States