A “Tuesday at Dorry’s” for Jackie Robinson
On April 15, each year since 2004, “Jackie Robinson Day” is celebrated throughout Major Leaguer Baseball.”
Robinson, the first Afro-American player to integrate Major League Baseball, debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers, on April 15, 1947. Sunday, April 15, 2018, marked the 71st Anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in MLB.
The NY Mets have celebrated Robinson’s legacy long before the official announcement by MLB in 2004, proclaiming April 15, as “Jackie Robinson Day.” The Mets even included the Jackie Robinson Rotunda in memory of Robinson when erecting Citi Field.
This year, as they have done in past years, the Mets welcomed Jackie’s wife Rachel and their children Sharon and David to celebrate “Jackie Robinson Day” at Citi Field. Rachel Robinson is the founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which helps young men and women gain an education.
On April 15, some of the Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars escorted other aspiring students on a tour of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field. The MLB Players Trust also donated $42,000, to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which they have made a tradition in recent years on “Jackie Robinson Day.” Robinson Dodgers uniform number was 42, now retired throughout MLB.
Nonetheless, as these MLB conglomerates paid tribute to Robinson and his family, a well-known diner in White Plains was playing its part in honoring Jackie Robinson.
Julie Davis Carran of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute of Nonviolence organizes “Tuesdays@Dorry’s” Weekly Table Talk at Dorry’s Dinner on Mamaroneck Avenue. Each week local residents gather to hear speakers and engage in discussions regarding a variety of topics.
On Tuesday, April 17, Carran invited Dr. Richard Zamoff and his brother Barry Zamoff to lecture concerning their participation in the Jackie Robinson Education Initiative at George Washington University.
The topic of the Zamoff brothers’ lecture was “Jackie Robinson-Informal Civil Rights Leader.” Dr. Richard Zamoff teaches a class at GWU titled “Jackie Robinson: Race, Sports, and the American Dream.” He has also been the Director of the Jackie Robinson Project since 1996 and a faculty advisor to the Jackie and Rachel Robinson Society since 1999 at GWU. He also wrote a children’s book regarding Robinson in English and Spanish to raise awareness of Robinson’s contributions to society
The Zamoff brothers grew-up in the Bronx but were avid Brooklyn Dodgers fans. As young men in the 1950’s they were members of the Brooklyn Dodgers “Knothole Gang,” whereas the Brooklyn Dodgers in the ‘40’s and 50’s gave over two million free passes to youth who could not afford to watch a live baseball game. Instead, the children poked their heads through the knotholes in the wooden fences of the old ballparks to see their favorite teams.
However, Dr. Zamoff’s lecture at “Tuesdays@Dorry’s” was not focused on Robinson’s MLB Hall of Fame career but more geared to Robinson’s influence in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s, 60’s and his overall contributions to society until his death in 1972. After all, Zamoff’s prospectus encompasses the relationship between sports and society.
“I always felt that sports were an important part of society and you learn what is going on in society by studying sports,” said Zamoff. “Howard Cosell said it best, ‘Jackie was not just the best ballplayer I ever saw but he also the best man I ever knew.’ Robinson was courageous, forthright, polite and professional,” stated Zamoff.
Robinson appeared on “Meet the Press” several times discussing racial equality and sociological issues. He also started a construction company to provide housing for low-income families and the Freedom National Bank to assist Afro-American entrepreneurs wanting to start their own businesses. He was also the Vice President of Chock-Full-of Nuts.
Robinson wrote many letters concerning civil rights and social change to many politicians, including former U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and civic leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcom X. Robinson chronicled the letters in his book titled: “First Class Citizenship, The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson.”
The Zamoff brothers lecture and ensuing discussion with the informal group at “Tuesday’s at Dorry’s” enlightened attendees to more than just the legacy of Robinson, the baseball player but also Jackie and Rachel Robinson’s untiring drive for racial equality, social change and the education of the youth of America.
Next year will be the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Jackie Robinson, who was born on Jan. 31, 1919. Maybe the Zamoff brothers will return next year to “Tuesdays@Dorry’s” for another enlightening lecture concerning the man, who broke the color barrier in MLB.
