Photo of the Week!

F 5.6; 1/200; 35mm.

Shot at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

Happy Jackie Robinson Day! 75 years ago today (dating back to April 15, 1947), the ballplayer made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers and, in doing so, broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier. While Robinson played far away from where the team plays now in Los Angeles, his statue greets visitors at the entrance to Dodger Stadium — this photo of the week depicts it — where he is shown sliding in to home. His legacy spans the sport at large, and April 15 is something of a league-wide holiday. All 30 MLB teams have retired his number 42, but today, players will all wear 42 on their jerseys in his honor.

It’d be trivial to only write about baseball; Jackie Robinson is a towering figure in U.S. history thanks to his contributions the Civil Rights Movement. May we all be inspired by his courage to challenge racist status quos (it seems shocking now, but among other challenges Robinson faced, he wasn’t allowed to stay at team hotels or eat with teammates on road trips to the Jim Crow South), and in his memory, let us keep working for a more-just future.

Click here to read more about the historical context surrounding Jackie Robinson’s debut (via Sports Illustrated).

Click here to see more on Instagram @TheHigherFlyer.

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