Jackie Robinson Day celebrated at FABI 2023-04-19
An enthusiastic group of FABIans gathered at the LC de Villiers sports campus on Friday 14 April to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. This fun social event was organised by the avid baseball fanatic, David Johnson who is visiting FABI along with his wife, Fulbright Scholar Prof. Anne Pringle. Jackie Robinson Day is a traditional event celebrated annually on April 15 in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the USA, commemorating and honouring the day Jackie Robinson made his major league debut. On that one day, all players, coaches, and managers of both teams, and the umpires at all MLB ballparks, wear Robinson's uniform number, 42. April 15 was Opening Day in 1947, Robinson's first season in the major leagues.
Initiated in 2004, the day celebrates Robinson's memorable career. He is best known for becoming the first black major league baseball player of the modern era in 1947. This was when his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately 80 years of baseball segregation. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
FABIans experienced some typical American culture, being treated to boxes of Cracker Jack, a traditional baseball snack (that David had sent from the USA especially for this event), along with Budweiser beer and with boerewors rolls replacing the traditional hotdogs. David led the group in a sing-along of the baseball anthem “Take me back to the ballgame” before playing an informal game of baseball. There was also a screening at Future Africa on 15 April of the movie ‘42’, a biographical film about Robinson’s life. David had earlier in the year presented a seminar at the FABI Monday Morning Meeting about Jackie Robinson’s career after seeing the number 42 on a “cube” right outside his office in FABI 2 – this being Jackie Robinson’s uniform number. The “cube” refers to a different 42, with some scientific relevance, left here to the imagination of those reading this new item.
FABI would like to thank David and Anne for their generous sponsorship of the day's activities as well as the FABI Social Club for assisting them to arrange this social event.