The New York State Senate on Tuesday commemorated the 100th birthday of Jackie Robinson, during Black History Month, with a resolution introduced by Brooklyn Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud.
The Senate adopted Resolution J366, sponsored by Guyanese-born Persaud, representative for the 19th Senatorial District in Brooklyn, which honors Robinson, a week after the anniversary of his 100th birthday.
The late Robinson was a professional baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Persaud noted that Robinson was “best known for breaking the color barrier in the MLB and an exceptional career in baseball.”
Robinson, born on Jan. 31, 1919, joined the Dodgers in 1947 and was soon named Rookie of the Year for his extraordinary ball playing.
He went on to achieve All-Star status, became the first African American player to win the Most Valuable Player Award and helped the Dodgers win their first World Series championship in franchise history.
Although Robinson retired from baseball in 1957 and died in 1972, Persaud said “his legacy lives on.”
Robinson was the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Additionally, the MLB retired his uniform number, which was a first for a major American sports league, and named April 15 “Jackie Robinson Day,” where every player on every team wears his signature No. 42.
Senator Persaud urged her colleagues to adopt the resolution “to commend Robinson and individuals like him who have contributed to the historic richness and ethnic diversity of New York, which is also where he lived while playing for the Dodgers — at 5224 Tilden Ave. in Brooklyn, known today as the Jackie Robinson House and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.”
“Growing up in Brooklyn, Jackie Robinson was a household name for me, yet his impact on equality stretched beyond baseball and across the state and country,” Persaud said. “He inspired us to believe in our own abilities and respect each other regardless.
“I am delighted to commemorate the 100th birthday of fellow Brooklynite Jackie Robinson with my colleagues and hopeful his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come,” she added.
In addition to the resolution, the Senate adopted others that honor historic African American figures during February, recognized nationally as Black History Month.
