Black History Month Moment of the Day: Jackie and Rachel Robinson

The world knows Jackie Robinson for being a pioneer in the sport of baseball. Without a doubt, he was that, but to limit his accomplishments to merely sports is almost criminal. Robinson was remarkable groundbreaker who accomplished so much more that is rarely celebrated. So, we are giving him and his equally outstanding wife Rachel Robinson their well-deserved flowers.  Here’s why:

SPORTS

Jack Roosevelt Robinson, born January 31, 1919, was the first University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) student to letter in four different sports in the same school year. To date, Robinson is still the only athlete in UCLA history to letter in four sports – baseball, football, basketball and track. In fact, baseball was considered Robinson’s “worst” sport at UCLA. (Let that sink in, folks.)

But there’s more: He was recipient of the first Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award in 1947. He was the first player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Jackie also broke broadcasting barriers as the first Black television baseball analyst. Jackie Robinson’s number 42 is universally retired across Major League Baseball to honor his role in breaking the sport’s color barrier, making him the first professional athlete in any sport to have his number permanently retired by the league.

RACHEL ROBINSON

Rachel Robinson was born Rachel Isum on July 19, 1922 and met her future husband Jackie on the campus of UCLA. The couple wed on February 10, 1945. After giving birth to three children (!), Rachel graduated from New York University with a masters degree in psychiatric nursing. She had previously graduated from UCLA with a degree in nursing. Rachel was named head of psychiatric nursing at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY.  She dutifully served in this role until 1965, when she became an assistant professor at Yale University and the director nursing for the state mental health center in New Haven, CT.

BUSINESS VENTURES

Not content in limiting his influence on sports, Jackie helped to establish Freedom National Bank in Harlem, NY. This Black-owned and operated financial institution helped provide banking access, loans, and economic empowerment to the Harlem community until its closure in 1990.

In 1972, Rachel became President of the Jackie Robinson Construction Corporation and renames the company the Jackie Robinson Development Corporation. The new company built nearly 2,000 low to moderate-income housing units.

PHILANTROPIC STRIDES

On June 30, 1963, The Robinsons hosted a jazz concert at their Stamford, CT home to raise bail money for jailed civil rights activists. It was the first of what became an annual event, Afternoon of Jazz. The fundraiser, which was attended by icons in the genre such as Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald, continued until 2001.

Rachel honored her husband’s memory by establishing the Jackie Robinson Foundation in 1972. The organization provided scholarships and other resources to students from under-served communities.  

Jackie passed away in 1972, Rachel is still alive (and gorgeous) at 103 years old. Together, these two built a lasting legacy, all while navigating horrifying challenges. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson!

(Read previous Black History Month 2026 moment here.)

TOPICS:  Jackie Robinson

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