On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era and achieved Hall of Fame status. He later became the first African American to hold an officer-level position at a major corporation, served as an advisor to top politicians, actively promoted economic empowerment by co-founding a bank and a housing development company, and of course was a key figure in advancing equal justice and first-class citizenship from the 1950s until his death in 1972. Hailed a “…freedom rider before freedom rides,” Robinson’s name has become synonymous with breaking barriers.

The Jackie Robinson Museum is a project of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, a public, not-for-profit national organization founded by Rachel Robinson in 1973. The foundation serves as a vehicle to perpetuate the legacy of Robinson, the player who broke the color line in Major League Baseball in 1947 when he began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was also a committed campaigner for civil rights, and his Foundation assists increasing numbers of minority youths through the granting of four-year scholarships for higher education.