Declare Jackie Robinson Day

Senate Resolution No. 799 BY: Senator BAILEY RECOGNIZING April 15, 2025, as Jackie Robinson Day in the State of New York WHEREAS, On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era, breaking the league's color barrier and altering the sport's history; and WHEREAS, It is with noble admiration and pride that this Legislative Body pays just recognition to an athlete whose bravery, skill and quiet dignity brought extraordinary humanity to both the game of baseball and the Nation, contributing to the integration of the sport; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to recognize April

15, 2025, as Jackie Robinson Day, celebrating the baseball icon's legacy; and WHEREAS, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, and raised in Pasadena, California, by a single mother of five; and WHEREAS, Robinson attended the University of California Los Angeles, where he became the university's first four-sport letter winner, excelling in football, basketball, track and field, and baseball; and WHEREAS, During World War II, Jackie Robinson enlisted in the United States Army, where he rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant and was honorably discharged after two years; and WHEREAS, In 1945, Jackie Robinson began playing in the Negro National League as a shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs; later that year, he was invited to become the first African American to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers' farm team, the Montreal Royals; and WHEREAS, In 1947, at the age of 28, Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers and was named Rookie of the Year that season; and WHEREAS, In 1949, Jackie Robinson was named the National League's Most Valuable Player, and in 1955, he helped the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win their first World Series Championship; and WHEREAS, At the end of Jackie Robinson's nine years as a Dodger, his record included a .311 batting average, 137 home runs, 734 runs batted in, and 197 stolen bases; and WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson retired from baseball in 1957 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in

1962, a fitting finale to an illustrious career that triumphed over adversity and paved the way for future generations of Black baseball players; and WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson's post-baseball contributions included serving as the first Black analyst for MLB telecasts; serving as vice president for personnel at Chock Full o'Nuts; co-founding the Freedom National Bank of Harlem, a Black-owned and -operated commercial bank; and founding the Jackie Robinson Construction Company, which sought to build housing for low-income people; and WHEREAS, On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired Jackie Robinson's No.

42 in an on-field ceremony at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles; in 1997, all of Major League Baseball saluted him on the 50th Anniversary of his breaking the color barrier by universally retiring his number from the game; and WHEREAS, In 2007, Cincinnati Reds star Ken Griffey Jr. requested special permission to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day, and beginning in 2009, No. 42 has been worn by every player and coach across the league on April 15; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative body to commend individuals of historical significance who have contributed to the richness and ethnic diversity of New York State and our nation; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to recognize April 15, 2025, as Jackie Robinson Day in the State of New York.