Friday, March 29, 2024

NewsOne Now Celebrates the 70th Anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s Debut in Major League Baseball


*WASHINGTON, D.C. — Friday morning (04-14-17) on News One Now, host and managing editor Roland Martin spoke with historian and a founder of the Negro Leagues museum Larry Lester, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and baseball legend Hank Aaron about honoring Jackie Robinson, the first Black athlete to play major league baseball.

Robinson made his major league debut on April 15, 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and today is recognized in all of the major leagues as Jackie Robinson Day. In his honor, all players wear his #42 jersey, which was retired in 1997.

“Without Jackie Robinson we might still be moving slowly toward integrating major league baseball. He was a pioneer in so many ways and an icon and motivating influence in my life,” said Lester, who also commented on Robinson’s season with Negro League team the Kansas City Monarchs. “Batted almost .400 that one season he was with the [Kansas City] Monarchs, changed the dynamics of the game with daring base running styles, and just brought the game more up-tempo – exploited all the rules to a maximum advantage for his team. So he was a very fiery type of ball player with an indomitable spirit to win the ball game.”

Added Jackson, who gave the eulogy at Robinson’s funeral: “Jackie was a complete human being. I cannot help but think about the role he played in the consciousness of our people. In 1947, this is seven years before the Supreme Court decision ended Jim Crow; 18 years before we had the right to vote. Jackie had to face the hostility of his teammates who were pulling against him and saying things in public against him. So he’s not only dealing with the outside world, he’s dealing [with the] inside world.  [His wife] Rachel and Jackie were a team, and that team beat the team within the team.”

Martin also spoke with fellow major league baseball legend Hank Aaron about the humanity that Robinson evoked, and his own racial struggles as a black athlete. ”His inner self wanted to fight back. The last time I saw Jackie – I believe it was in Cincinnati when he made a statement and said ‘I’ll be more happier than anybody in the world if I can see a black man at least coaching third base.’ So those are the things that really made me feel like I was walking in the footsteps of a giant.”

Aaron played 23 seasons in the major leagues and is best known for breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record of 715 runs in 1974 while with the Atlanta Braves. “You know, you think that the only thing that I was doing was bringing a little pleasure to people’s mind. You know, enjoying the baseball game. And yet, I had to have two or three – Maynard Jackson, who was the mayor at that time –fixed me with two detectives that were with me at all times. Half the time I couldn’t stay at the ballpark. I had to stay in the hotel room all the time. I didn’t have an enjoyment when I was going after Babe Ruth’s record because every letter I received people were threatening me and doing all these things. So I had to worry about staying alive. “

Hall Of Famer Hank Aaron Reflects On The Legacy of Jackie Robinson and Breaking Barriers In MLB:

Beginning on Monday, April 17, NewsOne Now will re-broadcast the previous day’s episode at 6 a.m. ET each weekday morning, giving viewers two chances to watch each broadcast.

For more information about NewsOne Now and Roland S. Martin, visit www.tvone.tv , and check out TV One’s YouTube Channel.

Viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram  and Facebook (@tvonetv) using #NewsOneNow and engage with Martin daily via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Periscope (@rolandsmartin). Viewers are now able to listen to NewsOne Now by live streaming on www.newsone.com.

ABOUT NEWSONE NOW:
Emanating from the heart of Washington D.C. in a state-of-the-art studio that offers a stunning view of the Capitol building, NewsOne Now airs Monday through Friday on TV One from 7-8 a.m. ET.  NewsOne Now is hosted by Roland S. Martin, the 2013 National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year and former host of TV One’s long-running, award-winning weekly news program, Washington Watch with Roland Martin.  Each morning, Martin – who also serves as the program’s managing editor – sifts through the headlines of the day to spotlight matters that greatly impact the African American community. In addition to television, NewsOne Now reaches audiences 24/7 with exclusive program content and extended editorial on NewsOne.com and the NewsOne mobile app.  NewsOne Now is an evolution of Interactive One’s award-winning digital brand NewsOne.com that launched in 2008 and reaches millions of African Americans each month. Susan Henry is executive producer of NewsOne Now. D’Angela Proctor is TV One’s head of original programming and production.

ABOUT TV ONE:
Launched in January 2004, TV One serves more than 60 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult black viewers. The network represents the best in black culture and entertainment with fan favorite shows Unsung, Rickey Smiley For Real, Fatal Attraction, Hollywood Divas and The NAACP Image Awards.  In addition, TV One is the cable home of blockbuster drama Empire, and NewsOne Now, the only live daily news program dedicated to black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is solely owned by Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK, www.radio-one.com], the largest African-American owned multi-media company primarily targeting Black and urban audiences.

 

 

 

source:
Alonda Thomas – [email protected]
Erin Williams – [email protected]

 

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