Jackie Robinson Day and why his legacy beyond baseball resonates today

>>> IF AMERICAN HISTORY COULD >>> IF AMERICAN HISTORY COULD BE CAPTURED IN A SINGLE LIFE, LOOK NO FARTHER THAN JACKIE ROBINSON’S AND THE HALL OF FAMER WHO INTEGRATED MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ON APRIL 15, 1947. 1947. HE WAS WEARING THE NUMBER 42. NOW, EVERY APRIL 15th, TOMORROW, THE MLB ALONG WITH MILLIONS OF FANS WORLDWIDE CELEBRATE JACKIE ROBINSON DAY. CELEBRATE JACKIE ROBINSON DAY. WE SPOKE TO JACK AND SEE THAT SON, AND PRESENT OF THE FOUNDATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN ICON AND WHY HIS LEGACY BE ON BASEBALL RESONATES TODAY. IT IS A MOMENT FROZEN IN HISTORY. JACKIE ROBINSON, BREAKING

BASEBALL’S LONG-HELD COLOR LINE BY STEPPING ONTO THE FIELD IN BROOKLYN ON APRIL 15, 1947 BECOMING THE FIRST MIC AMERICAN TO PLAY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IN THE 20th CENTURY. IT IS THE SCOPE OF HIS LIFE, NOT JUST THAT MOMENT THAT TRULY ENCAPSULATES MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY. THE INDIGNITIES OF BLACK PEOPLE SUFFERED BUT ALSO THE PROGRESS AND PROMISE OF INTEGRATION. IT WAS A LIFE THAT BEGAN IN 1990 TEEN WHEN JACK ROOSEVELT ROBINSON WAS BORN IN POST- RECONSTRUCTION GEORGIA UNDER THE HORRORS OF JIM CROW. >> HIS GRANDMOTHER WAS BORN A SLAVE. HIS MOTHER WAS A SHARECROPPER. WE KNEW THROUGH

HIS HISTORY, WHICH WAS MY FAMILY HISTORY, WHICH IS OUR RACE HISTORY. >> WE GOT TO SIT DOWN WITH DAVID ROBINSON AT THE MUSEUM IN NEW YORK CITY.

EIGHT PLACE THAT CHRONICLES THE TRAILBLAZING ACHIEVEMENT AGAINST THE BACK DROP OF U.S. HISTORY >> MY FATHER WAS A MAN OF FEW WORDS AND VERY STRONG ACTIONS. HE WAS VERY IMPACTFUL IN A VERY MODEST NUMBER OF WORDS. I THINK WE LEARNED AS MUCH BY HIS EXAMPLE AS WE DID BY WHAT HE SAID. >> DAVID’S RECOLLECTIONS COMES AS EDUCATION IS UNDER THREAT. IT IS BY MUSEUMS LIKE THIS ONE COULD BE

ONE OF THE FINAL FRONTIERS FOR TRUE ACCOUNTS OF OUR PAST. THE MUSEUM IS PART OF THE JACKIE ROBINSON FOUNDATION, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1973 BY JACKIE’S WIFE, RACHEL. LAST YEAR, SHE TURNED 100 YEARS YOUNG. THE MUSEUM’S PRESIDENT AND CEO, BRITAIN, WANTED THE EXHIBITS TO SHOWCASE THE FULL BREATH OF ROBERTSON’S LEGACY. >> THIS IS RACHEL ROBINSON, NOT ONLY HAS WIFE AND LIFELONG PARTNER AND LOVE OF HIS LIFE — THAT WAS MUTUAL. >> HE HEARD THE STORIES ALL THE TIME ABOUT THEIR — WHEN THEY WENT DOWN SOUTH FOR THE FIRST TIME AND BEING TAKEN OFF THE AIRPLANE

AND HAD TO GO TO THE FIRST SPRING TRAINING ON THE BACK OF A BUS. JACK AND RACHEL ROBINSON COME FROM A HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STRUGGLE AND PROTEST IN STANDING UP FOR CIVIL RIGHTS. IT WAS A FANTASTIC PAIR. >> THE MUSEUM OPENED IN 2022. EXPECT TO SEE THE AWARDS, THE STATS AND JERSEYS BUT ALSO THE STORIES OFF THE PLAYING FIELD. LIKE HOW JACKIE, A U.S. ARMY LIEUTENANT, BEFORE HIS BASEBALL CAREER WAS ARRESTED AND COURT- MARTIALED FIRST CHOOSING TO MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE BUS. THIS WAS 11 YEARS BEFORE THE WORLD WOULD KNOW ROSA PARKS.

WHICH IS WHY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WOULD LATER CALL ROBINSON EIGHT FREEDOM WRITER BEFORE THE FREEDOM RIDES. YET THE RACIAL TAUNTS, THE SLURS WERE ENDLESS. THIS ANONYMOUS HATE LETTER, YEARS INTO HIS CAREER THREATENING TO LYNCH HIM IF HE PLAYED. UPON RETIRING FROM THE GAME, ROBINSON ENTERED THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND CORPORATE WORLD. FIRE HOSES AND POLICE DOGS WERE UNLEASHED ON YOUNG BLACK PEOPLE PROTEST IN SEGREGATION, JACKIE ROBINSON FELT THE CALL TO DO ROBINSON FELT THE CALL TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. >> I DO NOT LIKE THESE BIG TEETH THAT I SEE ON THE DOGS. I DON’T

LIKE TO SEE THE EXPRESSIONS OF THE POLICE IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. I DO NOT LIKE TO READ ABOUT PREGNANT WOMEN BEING POKED IN THE STOMACH BY ICE STICKS. I DO LIKE TO SEE YOUNG KIDS OF NINE YEARS OLD BEING THROWN ACROSS THE STREET BY THE FORCE OF A FIRE HOSE. I BELIEVE THAT I MUST GO DOWN AND SAY TO THE PEOPLE, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU’RE DOING, NOT ONLY FOR ME BUT FOR AMERICA. >> JACKIE DECIDED HE WAS GOING TO MAKE ONE OF HIS PLATFORMS ON HIS CIVIL RIGHTS ROUTE ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT. HE OFTEN SAID THE BALLOT

IN THE BOOK ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT THINGS FOR ADVANCEMENT OF MY COMMUNITY. >> JACKIE ROBINSON MADE HIS LAST PUBLIC APPEARANCE DURING THE 1972 WORLD SERIES. HIS ONE LAST MESSAGE FOR BASEBALL TO INTEGRATE THE MANAGERIAL RANKS. HE DIED OF A HEART A BACK 10 DAYS LATER AT THE AGE OF 53. TO YOUR SENSES DEATH, THE BATTLE AGAINST ANTI-BLACKNESS REMAIN CENTRAL TO AMERICAN STORY. THE CULTURE WAR HAS ENTERED THE CLASSROOM WHERE CONSERVATIVES ARE BANNING THE STORIES OF JACKIE ROBINSON AND OTHER BLACK ICONS. BASEBALL’S GREAT EXPERIMENT INDOORS. >> SOMETIMES WE FEAR AS HUMAN BEINGS FACING A DIFFICULT

TRUTH BUT THAT IS THE ONLY WAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR MOVING FORWARD AS ONE NATION, IS IS IF WE HONESTLY DEAL WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY THOSE ARE ALL, AS YOU SAY, TRUTH THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH. >> THOSE TRUTHS ARE BLACK HISTORY, WHICH IS AMERICAN HISTORY. TO BE STUDIED, CELEBRATED AND PRESERVED. THAT IS THE KEY MESSAGE OF THE GREAT MUSEUM HE AND RACHEL BUILT. THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL THE TEAM AT THE JACKIE ROBINSON MUSEUM.