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Jackie Robinson
Sports
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Despite harassment at the hands of both players and fans, Jackie Robinson excelled as the first African American player in the modern area of Major League Baseball beginning in 1947. Jackie earned six consecutive All-Star Game nominations along with The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award, the first MLB Rookie of the Year Award, and a National League MVP Award. In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Jackie Robinson was also a forerunner of the Civil Rights Movement. He was a key figure in the establishment and growth of the Freedom Bank, an African-American owned and controlled entity, in the 1960s. He also wrote a syndicated newspaper column for a number of years, in which he was an outspoken supporter of both Martin Luther King Jr. and less so Malcolm X. Major League Baseball retired his number in 1962 in recognition of his accomplishments both on the field and off the field. Robinson even received a Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.h
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