Why there are mixed feelings on 75th Jackie Robinson Day

They illuminated the Empire State Building Friday in blue and orange with a rotating “42” in New York City.

They introduced Robinson’s family, including 99-year-old wife Rachel, son, David, and granddaughter, Ayo, in Los Angeles.

They renamed the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway in his honor for one day in New York City.

They gave out books to children at Robinson’s elementary school and unveiling a mural tribute at his high school in Pasadena, California.

They had the Dodgers congregate and speak in front of his statue outside Dodger Stadium.

Every major-league player at every game Friday was wearing No. 42, in Dodger blue, when they stepped onto the field.

The 75th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier was a glorious celebration, from coast to coast.

“This means so much for our family, helping carry his legacy forward,” says Sonya Pankey, the eldest and only grandchild who met Robinson before he died in 1972. “This generation can learn from Grandpa Jack, reminding them about the social change he brought, and understand the sacrifices he made.

“My grandmother, too, was so courageous, and fought tirelessly to keep this legacy forever. For her to take this trip to LA shows just how important this 75th anniversary is to our family.”

It should be a day that is remembered every day, but the fear is that after all of the festivities, speeches and marketing campaigns are over, and the Jackie Robinson Way street signs taken down, it could all be forgotten.

This is a sport in which only 6.8% of its players are Black, one of the smallest percentages of Black players in the sport since baseball was fully integrated in 1959. There are 11 teams who have one or zero Black players, and 18 of the 30 teams have two or fewer Black players. In contrast, 28.5% of Major League Baseball is comprised of Latino players.

The only Black GM or head of baseball operations today is Ken Williams, vice president of the Chicago White Sox.

“I’m not going to celebrate the day,” said former All-Star center fielder Eric Davis, 59, now a special assistant for the Cincinnati Reds, “because every day is Jackie Robinson Day. They want to hype April 15, but after it’s over, everyone moves on in our society. Jackie stood for way more than life goes on.

“Jackie Robinson is in my heart, he’s in my DNA. He’s with me every day. Without Jackie, there would be no Eric Davis, at least not in baseball. So, I don’t see the importance of celebrating Jackie one day out of the year because he means so much more to me than that.

“I don’t care about the hype of one day. I care about keeping the memories in my soul forever.”

Robinson was hardly just a ballplayer who broke baseball’s color barrier. He represented the hopes and dreams for racial equality in education, jobs, politics, the judicial system, and was instrumental in the civil rights movement.

“Jim Gilliam was the one who really told me all of the stories about Jackie when I got to the Dodgers,” said Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker, one of only two current Black managers, who played eight years for the Dodgers beginning in 1976. “He told me the stories in St. Louis when they didn’t let Jackie or any of his Black teammates stay at the Chase Park Plaza.

When they finally did, they wouldn’t let them eat in the restaurant, but Jackie went in there anyways. They would let them go to the pool, but Jackie went to the pool anyways. They even drained the pool after he was in there.

“He was a heck of a leader, a heck of a man, and meant so much to so many people. I remember asking Jim why did Jackie die from so young? He told me, ‘Jackie died of a broken heart.’ “

The official cause of Robinson’s death at age 53 was diabetes and heart disease, but the family will tell you it was the stress, pain and the heartache that caused his premature passing.

“I believe that, 100%,” Pankey said. “There was such an enormous burden on him, he sacrificed his life. He used to say he had very broad shoulders, but you saw the toll it took on him.”

Robinson’s teammates, such as Don Newcombe, used to regale later generations of Dodgers players about Robinson’s impact. They would share his frustration in the lack of front office and field positions. They kept hoping there would be change, but look where we are 75 years later.

There is one Black person in charge of baseball operations, two Black managers and 66 African-Americans among the 975 players on opening-day rosters and injured lists.

There were 275 foreign-born players on opening day rosters this year, with 38% players of color. Yet, the small percentage of Black players has remained constant this past decade, despite 56 Black players being drafted in the first round since 2012.

“You can skew the numbers any way you want,” Davis said. “They talk about the diversity and people of color. What does that mean? Every time you talk about the lack of Blacks in the game, they drop the percentage of people of color on us. They keep changing the narrative on who we are.

“Let’s don’t sugar-coat things, changing titles, or saying people of color. For us who have gone through it, Black men in this country who were called the N-word and everything else, there’s a difference. I’m not interested in the percentage of people of color. I’m interested in the percentage of Black people.

“I’m a Black man who gave everything I could do for the game of baseball. I damn near died on the field. I’ve been operated on 13 times because of baseball.

“I love the game of baseball, but how does baseball feel about us?”

MLB cites its diversity youth outreach and amateur baseball development programs. It formed a partnership with the Players Alliance, pledging to contribute as much as $150 million over the next 10 years. It recently appointed Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and CC Sabathia to positions in the Commissioner’s office, assisting in several programs including diversity, equity and inclusion.

Still, the numbers speak loud and painfully clear.

“It’s got a long way to go, we know that,” Griffey said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. We got to figure out a way for parents to say, ‘Hey, I want my kid to play baseball.’ But none of this would have even been possible for Jackie and his sacrifices in the first place.

“I think it’s important to celebrate his legacy, sacrificing his life. Look, it’s been 75 years. It seems so long ago, but then it doesn’t. He gave everyone a chance to dream.”

Griffey grew up in a baseball household with his father, Ken Griffey Sr., playing for 19 years, but even before Griffey put on a baseball glove, he was taught about Robinson’s impact. He still vividly remembers being speechless the first time he met Rachel Robinson at the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God! Wow!’ “Griffey said. “It was like seeing Santa Claus. She was such a pillar of strength every night for Jackie.”

Rachel Robinson, who celebrates her 100th birthday the same day as the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on July 19, will be the center of attention Friday at Dodger Stadium. She hasn’t made a public appearance in years, but it was important for her to be on hand, witnessing history, revering in Robinson’s impact throughout society.

“We are so thrilled that my grandmother is here for this,” said Ayo Robinson, the daughter of Jackie Robinson’s brother, David, who also will be on hand. “This is a day of celebration for my grandfather, but hopefully, they do a shoutout to my grandma, too. She played such a big impact in all of this, too, shaping the lives of not just our family, but so many others.”

It was 50 years ago when Robinson was celebrated at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium before Game 2 of the World Series. He stood on the field with his wife and son, David. He criticized MLB for not having a Black manager or high-ranking Black executive, questioning whether it would happen in his lifetime.

He died nine days later. Now, with Rachel and David Robinson back on the field together at Dodger Stadium, they saw only two Black players on the Dodgers (Mookie Betts and David Price), but finally a Black man as their manager in Dave Roberts.

“Having been born and raised in Los Angeles,” Davis says, “I’m not sure having two Black players is something to celebrate. I’m hoping that changes one day, and there is more diversity with other races, economic groups and women, but nothing seems to change when it comes to us.

“I’m disappointingly optimistic, if you can put those two words together. I’m just not going to hold my breath. As Jackie taught us, life is too short for that.”