Jackie Robinson Day: Remembering those who came before
By David Hill
Jackie Robinson Day is an important date on the baseball calendar. However, it is important to remember those black players in the majors who came before.
On April 15 every year, MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day. It is the anniversary of Robinson smashing the color barrier, entering the Brooklyn Dodgers lineup to stay. His success helped pave the way for other teams to integrate, with the entire league finally being integrated in 1959.
However, with Robinson breaking the color barrier comes the erroneous belief that he was the first black player in MLB history. As it turns out, there were two or three other black players before Robinson, all of whom played between 1879 and 1884. In fact, it was due to the success of one of those players that the informal color barrier began, with Cap Anson as the main instigator of such an action.
Jackie Robinson Day allows us the opportunity to remember the trials and tribulations that the Brooklyn Dodgers infielder faced as he was tasked with being the first black player of the modern era. It is a reminder of the racism and vitriol that he faced every time he set foot on the diamond. It is also a reminder that those issues did not disappear with integration, as black players still face racist fans and taunts to this day. We may have progressed as a society, but there is still a long way to go.
While we honor Jackie Robinson, let us also honor those black players who came before them. Here are their stories.