(Editor’s note: The following is a reprint of an article published on MLK Day, 2019, but which we republish today to commemorate Jackie Robinson on this day in which MLB teams everywhere honor him and his great contributions to baseball, our nation, and all humanity.)
On this day of national remembrance, we celebrate not only Martin Luther King, but his universal message of opportunity, respect, and love for all people. But before Rosa Parks refused her assigned seat, and before Martin Luther King led the ensuing bus boycott in Montgomery, there was already a freedom warrior in the fight against hatred and ignorance.