pvsbond's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

Today is Jackie Robinson Day, commemorating the date when the color barrier in Major League Baseball was broken.  On April 15th, 1947, Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African-American ballplayer to play in the Major Leagues.  The event was a historic moment for both baseball and the nation, and stuck an early blow against the racist policies of segregation which had been the norm across numerous spheres of American life.

Today Major League Baseball is celebrating this historic day, when the National Pastime became much more than a game, in style.  All Major League players in all games played on this day are wearing Jackie Robinson’s Number 42 to commemorate the occasion.  Plus this year marks the debut of another nice honor to Robinson’s memory with the opening of Jackie Robinson Rotunda in the New York Mets‘ new Citi Field ballpark in Queens. 

You can takepart in celebrating the memory of the great Jackie Robinson by checking out the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

LINKS:

Seattle Times: Jackie Robinson Day, diversity and MLB

Kansas City Star: Jacke Robinson Day events

Dallas Morning News: Today is always a good day in baseball