Jackie Robinson

Say the name Jackie Robinson anywhere in the United States and people will know exactly who you are talking about. He is a baseball legend amongst the top ranking athletes in the sport and in 1947 became the first African-American in Major League Baseball.

Robinson has an impressive list of honors to his name. He was a member of six World Series teams and earned six consecutive All-Star Game nominations. In 1947 he won The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award and two years later won the National League MVP Award. Fifteen years after being that rookie, Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He was quite accomplished off the field as well.

Being the first African-American man in the majors, Jackie Robinson was a fighter for equality. As an active member of the Civil Rights Movement, he helped establish the Freedom Bank, an African-American owned entity. He wrote a syndicated newspaper column for years, advocating his support for fellow Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and actively campaigned for politicians, including Democrat Hubert Humphrey and Republican Richard Nixon. Robinson served on the board of directors for the NAACP after retiring from baseball until 1967 and created the Jackie Robinson Construction Company in 1970 with the goal to build housing for low income families. 

Recognizing his accomplishments, he was awarded posthumously with a Congressional Gold Medal and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Robinson blurred the color line, challenged racism, and fought for equality.