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The 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s historic Major League Baseball debut took place on April 15th with the entire league honoring the late second baseman’s contribution to the sport.

 

Becoming the first Black player to star in the MLB, Robinson endured taunts and threats, choosing a silent grace away from the field but aggressive play on the diamond unveiled his true spirit.

Della Britton Baeza, the president and CEO of The Jackie Robinson Foundation, joined Roland Martin on NewsOne Now on the eve of the anniversary to share some little-known details of Robinson’s life and the aims of his foundation.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers honored Robinson with the unveiling of a bronze statue showing the celebrated player sliding into home plate. At the ceremony was Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson, and their children, Sharon and David.

Baeza made mention that the Foundation, which was created in 1973 by Rachel Robinson one year after her husband succumbed to conditions related to diabetes, has a nearly 100 percent graduate rate among scholarship recipients and an active alumni association.

There was also an announcement that groundbreaking for a museum dedicated to Robinson will be taking place this spring in Lower Manhattan.

Watch Roland Martin and The Jackie Robinson Foundation’s Della Britton Baeza discuss the legacy of the barrier-breaking Hall of Fame legend in the clip above.

Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.

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