With the annual Jackie Robinson Day set to take place across Major League Baseball on April 15, the Los Angeles Dodgers are further celebrating his legacy and centennial birthday in the local community this week.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers will host a Jackie Robinson Baseball Clinic at the Mamba Sports Academy for 200 underserved local students. They will participate in a skills clinic with instructino provided by Billy Ashley, Lee Lacy, Kenny Landreaux and Mamba Sports Academy staff members.
The students will also watch a documentary about Robinson’s life, which will detail the hardships he encountered to breaking MLB’s color barrier. Each participant will additionally receive a Dodgers t-shirt, game ticket, meal voucher and transportation to Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
On Saturday, the Dodgers are hosting a “Breaking Barriers: A Legacy of Jackie Robinson” event at Dodger Stadium, where 100 students from the BOSS Program will hear from manager Dave Roberts on Robinson’s impact, legacy and how it encouraged him to break barriers in his life.
BOSS is a 501c3 non-profit, with a mission to leverage the power of sport to help student-athletes, especially those of color. BOSS encourages students to look beyond organized sports and provide knowledge, habits and guidance for them and their non-athlete peers to achieve success in college and beyond in every industry and profession, with particular emphasis on STEM, critical thinking/writing and related fields.
For Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium, the first 40,000 ticketed fans will receive a replica No. 42 jersey. On-field pregame ceremonies will include Robinson’s widow, Rachel; daughter, Sharon; and son, David.
Moreover, 42 current and former Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars (six of which are current Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation scholars), plus students from Robinson’s elementary, middle and high schools — Cleveland Elementary School, Washington Middle School and John Muir High School — will be recognized prior to first pitch.
The Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will host an invite-only Centennial Birthday Celebration in the Stadium Club featuring a sneak preview of the Jackie Robinson Museum.
