Jackie Robinson historical marker finds new home in Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

On the seventy fifth anniversary of the day he broke Main League Baseball’s colour line, a historic marker commemorating the birthplace of Jackie Robinson in Cairo, Georgia, has discovered a brand new house in Kansas Metropolis.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was given the chance to say the historic marker after it was defaced and vandalized by gunfire in 2021.

The Georgia Historic Society changed the iron placard and selected the museum as the brand new house for the artifact. The now-restored marker is on short-term show within the museum’s Area of Legends. It is going to be completely featured within the museum.

Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, mentioned the marker is a reminder of what Jackie Robinson stood for.

“The circumstances that led to the marker coming house to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum are disturbing,” Kendrick mentioned. “However the marker can also be a robust reminder of Jackie Robinson’s braveness within the face of great social adversity.”

“His connection to Kansas metropolis is deep and it’s significant as a result of had it not been for the Negro Leagues, we do not get Jackie Robinson,” Kendrick added.

Robinson started his baseball profession with the Kansas Metropolis Monarchs of the Negro Leagues in 1945 earlier than turning into the primary Black participant to interrupt the Main League Baseball colour barrier on April 15, 1947 — precisely 75 years in the past Friday.

That paved the best way for different Black gamers, together with Monarchs greats Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil, to interrupt into Main League Baseball.

The museum additionally introduced the launch of a brand new touring exhibition, together with an interactive on-line exhibit, in regards to the first Black gamers to affix every main league staff.