The statue of legendary African American baseball player Jackie Robinson was sullied as swastikas, racial slurs and anti-Semitic epithets were all written and sprayed on it recently. The discoveries were made when officials who worked for the Brooklyn Cyclones arrived to work on Wednesday at MCU Park.
Robinson was, of course, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball during the modern era. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers for ten seasons, and racked up a bevy of accolades, including Rookie of the Year, six all-star game appearances, and an MVP award. He also helped lead the Dodgers to a 1955 World Series Championship. Earlier this year, a biographical movie of Robinson’s life and career was released, titled his number “42”.
The New York Police Department is currently investigating these crimes. The Hate Crimes unit is leading the investigation.
Team employees were able to remove the graffiti from the statue, and they covered up what could not be removed from the stone base.
For a man who was so integral in helping race relations during the Civil Rights Movement, it is sad that this level of disrespect was showed towards Robinson.
