Jackie Robinson

In 1947, Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) pioneered the integration of American professional athletics by becoming the first black player in Major League Baseball. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. After retiring from baseball, Robinson chaired the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), helped open the black-owned and -operated Freedom National Bank, built low-income housing, and was active politics.