2012 MAY 155154 MAY 2012

BY JOSH CASTILLO | PHOTOS BY JON SOOHOO & JILL WEISLEDER

Jackie Robinson Day

(Clockwise from above): Every player in Major League Baseball wore Jackie Robinson’s retired No. 42 on April 15. In pointing to the heavens after his home run on April 15, Kemp displayed fully the No. 42 worn throughout baseball on Jackie Robinson Day. The First African Methodist Episcopal Church Unity Choir performed the national anthem and “God Bless America.”

(Above): The Jackie Robinson Scholars took part in pregame ceremonies at Dodger Stadium. (Below): Dodger greats Tommy Davis and Don Newcombe honored Jackie Robinson’s memory in throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

ON APRIL 15, Major League Baseball celebrated the 65th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color

barrier in 1947 at Ebbets Field as a member of the Dodgers. Every year since 1997, Major League Baseball has kept Robinson’s memory alive with the celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, which for the last four years has included every Major League player wearing Robinson’s retired No. 42 in his honor.

Jackie Robinson Day is extra special for the Dodgers because he spent his entire 10-year career in the organization, and the Dodgers re-quest to play at home every year on April 15 to honor his memory.

Another way the Dodgers help keep alive and grow Robinson’s legacy is through the Jackie Robinson Scholars program, which is a partnership between the Dodgers and the Jack-ie Robinson Foundation to provide 42 college scholarships every year to young people.

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This year the Jackie Robinson Founda-tion and the Dodgers recognized seven Jackie Robinson Scholars attending his alma mater, UCLA, before the April 15 game at Dodger Stadium. The students are (their majors appear in parenthesis):

Shakinah Douglas (Political Science)Paulina Villanueva (Psychobiology)Ajwan Rading (Political Science & Public Policy)Brianna Atkins (English)Maltish Lorenzo (Biology)Neima Patterson (Business)Janae Osby (Neuroscience)

Rading took great pride in receiving the scholarship and in honoring Robinson at Dodger Stadium: “I am entering my sec-ond year at UCLA. It’s an unbelievable

honor because it enables me to go to col-lege. It’s a testament to what Jackie Robin-son stood for, he changed our lives.”

Robinson’s family members were also in attendance to help celebrate the foun-dation and its scholars. Robinson’s great nephew Dennis Robinson was on hand, and he is also an alumnus of the scholar-ship program. He said: “It was a foun-dation started by my Aunt Rachel, who wanted to reach out to underprivileged students who didn’t have the opportuni-ty to go to college. The foundation helps fund and raise money to help provide stu-dents with the opportunity to go college.”

The Dodgers and the Jackie Robinson Foundation keep living the words that are inscribed on the late Hall of Famer’s tombstone: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

Jackie Robinson was known for his daring baserunning, and Dee Gordon kept alive that memory as he took his lead off third base.