With all due respect for the contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the civil rights movement, I cannot help but think that his role was not as important as one other man’s. Indeed, King did help drive the movement toward victory, but one man got the ball rolling. This one man set the stage for King, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and the outrage of the Emmitt Till case. Yet, we do not celebrate this man’s birthday. His name rarely comes up if only as a side note when discussing the demise of segregation.

This man stepped into history when he took a national stage in the 1940’s, the decade before the above mentioned individuals obtained real recognition. His trek against the color barrier was broadcast into the homes of not just black America, but all America. He stood up to racism and threats of violence from not only strangers, but from colleagues in his own profession. He turned the other cheek, though he wished he could lash out. He knew if he did, the “experiment” would come to an end. Looking back, had he spoken out too soon, the movement could have been pushed back several decades. We may never have celebrated the life and times of a Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Rosa Parks. Our schools could have remained segregated well into the 70’s or 80’s. His “job” was the national pastime. His stage was Ebbetts Field. His name was Jackie Robinson.

Baseball was the nation’s sport in the 1940’s. Major League Baseball was broadcast on radio throughout America. It was king. However, it was also lily-white. That was until Brooklyn Dodger’s general manager Branch Rickey introduced Jackie Robinson to America in 1947. Though football had somewhat desegregated several years before, it did not have the sort of affect baseball’s move did. This was where America’s heroes could be found, it’s larger than life legends like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig. Now, here came this infielder from Georgia, a black man, something the game had not seen for almost seventy years, stepping onto the field. More important than the fact that he was there was that he was good, and maintained his temper against the hate spewed at him. A Rookie of the Year, an All-Star, and the man that broke the color barrier, not just in baseball, but throughout America.

Robinson opened the gate for King and others. It is Robinson that paved the way. He should be remembered more so than he is. His number may have been retired by baseball, but his contribution to our society is more far-reaching than on the diamond. Maybe it is because he was not as eloquent a speaker as King. Maybe he did not have the commanding presence of others in the movement. Nonetheless, as stated, we may never have heard of King had Robinson not brought the race issue to the forefront and into the lives and homes of so many. King was great, but we should be celebrating Jackie Robinson's birthday.