Each year, baseball fans remember Jackie Robinson on April 15. The trailblazing player broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball by becoming the first Black player signed to an MLB team. He debuted on April 15, 1947, with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
While Robinson never played in Columbia, he did visit the city after retiring from baseball. At that point, he was serving as a civil rights speaker and advocate for the NAACP.
Robinson arrived in the Soda City on Oct. 21, 1968 during a Humphrey-Muskie campaign stop. He used his platform to encourage Black voters to cast their ballots in the 1968 presidential election. The next day, he delivered a speech at Allen University.
Robinson died in 1972, but continued to be an advocate for anti-racism until his last days. In 1997, Robinson’s No. 42 jersey number was retired and MLB designated April 15 “Jackie Robinson Day.” The observance is celebrated across baseball, and the Columbia Fireflies will honor Robinson at their game on Friday, April 25.
