Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in modern major league baseball in 1947, breaking baseball's color line. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and faced intense racism but helped start the integration of organized baseball. Martin Luther King Jr. said Robinson was a legend and symbol who challenged intolerance by demonstrating that African-Americans could succeed professionally in baseball.

1. JACKIE ROBINSON
Robert/Dawson

2. ROLE
MODEL
Born Jack Roosevelt
Robinson, Jackie
Robinson was the
first African-
American in 1947 to
cross the color
barrier in modern
major league
baseball.

3. ICON
His season with
the Bears was cut
short when the
United States
entered into World
War II.

4. KNOWN
Known for
breaking
baseball's color
line and starting
the integration of
Organized
Baseball.

5. RESPECTFUL
Robinson's breaking of the
baseball color line and his
professional success
symbolized these broader
changes and demonstrated
that the fight for equality was
more than simply a political
matter. Martin Luther King,
Jr. said that he was "a
legend and a symbol in his
own time", and that he
"challenged the dark skies of
intolerance and frustration."