GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — 76 years ago Saturday, Jackie Robinson made a historic debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first Black player to play Major League Baseball. Now, his legacy is being remembered around the country and here in Grand Rapids.
“There is Jackie Robinson Day around the world, I will say every year to keep that name alive and to keep us remembering that it had to be someone that opened the doors for the Negro league players to enter into the major,” said Minnie Forbes, the last owner of the Negro League in Grand Rapids.
She is no stranger to baseball. It’s a sport that runs in the family. She was a secretary for her uncle with the Grand Rapids Black Sox from 1946-1953, when he purchased the Detroit Stars.
Her uncle owned two baseball teams — a move that was sparked by Jackie Robinson's historic debut as the first Black player to play Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
“Because we know in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, that was the demise of the Negro League and they kept losing teams, so that was his way of keeping the Negro League alive,” said Forbes.
He eventually gave ownership of the Detroit Stars to her. Now at the age of 90, she’s happy to be back on the field and celebrating the man who made such a difference .
“I'm so happy to be able to come out, especially at 90, to come out and to see things that happened 50 years ago that I can still remember the past, and I'm just glad to be here,” said Forbes.
“Not only was Jackie Robinson the first Black baseball player to break the color barrier in major league baseball, but it really was more than that, it was really about civil rights,” said Paul Soltysiak.
He’s the founder of Fans of Valley Field, a nonprofit working to preserve the heritage and promote the usage of the field.
Saturday, players wore replica jerseys of the Grand Rapids Black Sox and the Chicky Candy Bar Giants.
“it was the Chicky Candy Company, which was one of the black teams here in Grand Rapids, and we thought it'd be fun to recreate those two teams and let them play against each other,” said Soltysiak.
Mariah Young also came out to support one of her church members who once played in the league, Mr. Walker.
“Mr. Walker is a monumental person he played in the Negro League and he's here today still standing as one of the many few members here,” said Young.
Fans of Valley Field plans to continue the fields rich history of inclusion, and create positive experiences for everyone.
“I'm so happy to see that we can have an event like this with people of all types, from all neighborhoods coming together,” said Soltysiak.
If you would like to donate to help with that mission, you can visit their website here.
