POTW: Jackie Robinson

Tess Colwell

[Jackie Robinson in dugout], 1950 ca, v1987.1.3; Photography collection, v1987.1; Brooklyn Historical Society. [Jackie Robinson in dugout], circa 1950, v1987.1.3; Photography collection, v1987.1; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Yesterday would have been Jackie Robinson’s 98th birthday. He became the first African American baseball player to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He played ten years in the MLB and helped lead the Dodgers to their 1955 World Series championship. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. On April 5, 2017, Brooklyn Historical Society will open a new exhibition, “Until Everyone Has It Made: Jackie Robinson’s Legacy,” which celebrates Robinson’s role integrating professional baseball and his lifelong commitment to racial equity.

The photo of the week depicts Jackie Robinson in a dugout (possibly at Ebbets Field) sometime around 1950. Othmer Library has several collections related to the Brooklyn Dodgers, including Brooklyn Dodgers collection, Brooklyn Dodgers Spring Training photographs, and Brooklyn Dodgers photographs. We hope you will visit the Othmer Library to see for yourself, and be sure to check out the Jackie Robinson exhibit when it opens this spring.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. library@brooklynhistory.org

 

This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.

 

Post a Comment

While BPL encourages an open forum, posts and comments are moderated by library staff. BPL reserves the right, within its sole discretion, not to post and to remove submissions or comments that are unlawful or violate this policy. While comments will not be edited by BPL personnel, a comment may be deleted if it violates our comment policy.

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
 eNews Signup

Get the latest updates from BPL and be the first to know about new programs, author talks, exciting events and opportunities to support your local library.

Sign Up