The Los Angeles Dodgers decision to enshrine Jackie Robinson with a statue was a lengthy, but well-deserved process. Robinson received immortal status as the first statue in franchise history, and his widow, Rachel Robinson, other family members, and several personnel from the Dodgers organization were on hand to witness the special moment.
Robinson, who broke the color barrier in baseball during the 1947 season, resides as one of the most respected figures in history. His reach and impact extends well beyond sports. Hall-of-Fame status earned Robinson many honors well after his playing days, and his legacy has carried on since his death in 1972.
The next stop to commemorate all that Robinson did relays over to the next project for Rachel and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. After raising a total of $23.5 million, a museum is being built to honor the legend, via Ronald Blum of the Associated Press:
Ground was broken for the Jackie Robinson Museum after a 10-year wait — matching the length of the Hall of Famer’s barrier-breaking major league career.
The museum is scheduled for completion by spring 2019, encompassed on the street level of an existing office building. The Jackie Robinson Foundation hopes to reach their goal of $42 million raised, which would fund the endowment for the museum’s operations.
Rachel was in attendance for the ground-breaking ceremony held Thursday in the SoHo district of New York, alongside MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and former National League President Len Coleman.
Robinson’s Major League career spanned 10 seasons, all with the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his career, he batted .311/.409/.474 with 137 home runs, 734 RBIs, 197 stolen bases and 947 runs scored.
MLB has done their part to commemorating Robinson, honoring him with Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 of each season since 2004. On that day, all players, coaches, and on-field personnel wear his retired No. 42 jersey, sans names on the back.
