A Visit to the Jackie Robinson Museum

The new facility hasn’t gotten much attention but is definitely worth a visit.

Here’s something you might not be aware of: There’s a new museum in New York City devoted to Jackie Robinson.

If that’s news to you, my hunch is that you’re not alone. Although the museum opened last September, it’s gotten relatively little publicity or promotion, at least that this New Yorker has seen. One issue may be that the museum project was first announced way back in 2008 but was subject to endless delays caused by the Great Recession, Hurricane Sandy, the pandemic, and more, all of which may have made the museum seem like yesterday’s news at best, hopelessly snakebitten at worst.

I’ve been meaning to check out the museum since it opened and finally did so last week. Here are my primary takeaways:

• The museum consists of two large galleries — one that traces the progression of Jackie’s life in the context of the society in which he lived, and the other devoted to Jackie the athlete (although there’s plenty of crossover between the two).

• I was concerned that the endless delays and funding shortfalls might have resulted in a lackluster facility with a “Let’s just finish the damn place already” feel, but I needn’t have worried. This is clearly a modern museum with a lot of thought that’s gone into it and plenty of resources behind it. The exhibit design is very professional, with lots of video terminals, touchscreens, and audio stations supplementing the more traditional artifact displays. Text placards are informative and well edited.

• If you’re already pretty Jackie-knowledgeable, a lot of the museum’s information and storylines will be familiar to you, as they were to me. Still, I learned some things, and you probably will too (plus there’s tons of cool memorabilia). And for kids and others who aren’t well-versed in Jackie’s story, the place is an invaluable educational resource.

• I checked out the museum on a Friday afternoon and was concerned by how few visitors there were — only four or five people besides myself. I mentioned this to a staffer, who tried to reassure me that attendance has generally been good, although she acknowledged that some days, like the day I was there, are “less busy.” She also said the museum routinely hosts school groups, which was good to hear.

I took dozens of photos during my visit. (I would have shot some video as well, but that isn’t permitted.) Instead of matching the museum’s sequencing, I’ve grouped the pics into categories that I think will be of interest to Uni Watch readers.

One caveat: As is often the case in museums, some of the photos are marred by glare and reflections from the glass exhibit cases. Apologies in advance for that.

Okay, ready to take a look? Here we go, one section at a time.

Brooklyn Dodgers

Unsurprisingly, the museum features a lot of Dodgers-related artifacts. Let’s start with this: During Jackie’s 1947 rookie season, the Black-owned New York Amsterdam News convinced the Dodgers to throw a “Jackie Robinson Day” promotion, which took place on Sept. 23. Jackie received a new Cadillac, a TV set, a gold watch, and more. It’s hard to imagine a rookie getting his own day nowadays, right? Here’s the jersey Jackie wore for that game, including the McAuliffe-font rear number that the Dodgers used at the time: