The Jackie Robinson Foundation
For more than 50 years, the foundation has continued Robinson's commitment to equal opportunity by addressing the achievement gap in higher education.
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Baseball's color barrier when he made his historic MLB debut. Every year on April 15, Baseball honors Jackie's legacy by celebrating his life, values and accomplishments. The extensive and unified League-wide show of support has included retiring Jackie's number throughout the Majors in 1997; dedicating April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day each year since 2004; and requesting that every player and all on-field personnel wear his No. 42 during games scheduled on Jackie Robinson Day since 2009.
In parallel with the Jackie Robinson Foundation educational initiative, MLB has several activities aimed at keeping at-home kids busy while educating them on Jackie’s life.
Visit the Jackie Robinson Museum’s virtual program hub and explore Jackie Robinson’s life and legacy with activities and games, video clips, book readings and resources. There’s something to educate, inspire and challenge learners of all ages, including a newly launched Dig Deeper page, designed to preview programming planned for the Jackie Robinson Museum. Click here to visit the hub.
Fans are invited to celebrate the day and post recorded messages and photos on social media of what Jackie means to them using the official hashtag (#Jackie42).
MLB Social Media platforms will demonstrate the many ways Jackie inspired baseball and society – not just as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but also who he was and what he represented prior to and after his Major League career. Highlights include a special video highlighting Jackie’s main ambition, features of players writing “Letters To Jackie,” and videos from the youth baseball & softball community talking about Jackie’s impact on their lives and love of the sport.
For more than 50 years, the foundation has continued Robinson's commitment to equal opportunity by addressing the achievement gap in higher education.