Bishop Woodie W. White

The date, April 15, 1947, is remembered by many of us, although the memory is fading fast. In fact, the media scarcely noted that date last month. Yet it forever changed and impacted the social fabric of American life.

Sixty-five years ago, on April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first black baseball player to walk onto a Major League playing field, as first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Today, of course, the team is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The array of players, the nation and our “favorite pastime” have changed so much that Robinson’s achievement is now largely forgotten. For most Americans, the only Major League baseball they have ever known is one with players of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, competing together in this still-popular national sport.

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