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Black History from Pittsburgh
EVERY WEEK we will honor and represent our African American heroes. TO VIEW BLACK HISTORY ARCHIVES CLICK HERE
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We
know that it is very important for the world to know about our heritage.
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The
Week of April 15th, 2007: IN BLACK
HISTORY
READ MORE ABOUT "JACKIE ROBINSON" RIGHT HERE REST IN PEACE: (R.I.P.)
Andrea Lee Oliver Woodson aka "Andy" aka "Mother" Lucy Curry , Dot Talley, Vera Downing,
Bertrand "Goocher" Frye, Irma Woodson, Copyright 2007 Brotha Ash Productions. All Rights Reserved |
Jack
Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January
31, 1919 - October 24, 1972) became the
first
African American Major League Baseball player of
the modern era in 1947. The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted
Robinson in 1962 and he was a member of six World Series teams.
Jackie earned six consecutive All-Star Game nominations and won
several awards during his career. In 1947, Robinson won The
Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award and the first MLB Rookie
of the Year Award Award. Two years later, Jackie was awarded
his first National League MVP Award. In addition to his accomplishments
on the field, Jackie Robinson was also a forerunner of the Civil
Rights Movement. He was a key figure in the establishment and
growth of the Freedom Bank, an African-American owned and controlled
entity, in the 1960s. He also wrote a syndicated newspaper
column for a number of years, in which he was an outspoken supporter
of Martin Luther King Jr. and, to a lesser degree, Malcolm
X. Robinson actively campaigned for a number of politicians,
including both Democrat Hubert Humphrey, and Republican Richard
Nixon. In recognition of his accomplishments, Robinson posthumously
received a Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal
of Freedom. On April 15, 1997,
the 50 year anniversary of his debut in the MLB, Major League
Baseball retired the number 42, the number Robinson wore, in recognition
of his accomplishments both on the field and off the field.
