On April 15 1947, Jackie Robinson took a major step for civil rights, breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball in the United States. His ardent crusade for opportunity forever altered the social landscape of the country. Nearly seven decades later, racial equality urgently remains a social issue that demands dialogue and concerted action, among other social ailments that threaten to shatter what makes our nation the greatest in the world.

The Jackie Robinson Museum, in memorializing the athletic and social achievements of Jackie Robinson, will be a venue that recounts a historic moment in sports history and promotes dialogue and a good will approach to our nation’s social challenges, such as those confronted by Robinson during his heroic life.

View the Jackie Robinson Museum Brochure (PDF) (FlipBook)

More Information

Concept
Mission
Design Components

Concept

The Jackie Robinson Foundation is poised to establish the Jackie Robinson Museum in lower Manhattan. More than a permanent tribute to Jackie Robinson’s pioneering legacy and role as a catalyst for the civil rights movement, the museum will serve as a venue for vibrant dialogue on critical social issues and as a destination for innovative educational programming.

The Jackie Robinson Museum will commemorate the life and legacy of a true American hero through an exploration of his commitment to service and to the achievement of “first class citizenship” for all Americans. It will be a prominent stop on existing cultural routes in Lower Manhattan in New York City, just blocks from the Freedom Tower and 9/11 Memorial.

The Museum space will be an exciting venue for lectures, concerts, receptions and other events. It will serve as a forum for debate and discussion exploring the ways in which we as a society also can progress through an understanding that one life can make a difference. To date, the Foundation has raised $19.5 million toward a construction goal of $24 million and a total campaign goal of $42 million, including a Museum operating endowment.

Mission

• To EDUCATE visitors about Jackie Robinson, the athlete, the humanitarian, the scholar, the advocate for equal rights and the family man.
• To INSPIRE those interested in the history of social change and the prescription for greater progress.
• To CHALLENGE people of all ages to pursue a life of achievement and purpose.

Design Components

• 18,500 sq. ft.
• Pantheon filled with artifacts and interactive kiosks
• 75-seat theater
• Two flexible galleries to host traveling exhibits
• Mezzanine that bridges to the JRF headquarters space located on the 2nd floor
• Retail space
• Classroom space