Bed-Stuy Block Co-Named Jackie Robinson Way
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT – A block on MacDonough Street between Patchen and Ralph Avenues was co-named Jackie Robinson Way in honor of the baseball legend who once lived on the Bed-Stuy street.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Public Advocate Letitia James, and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams were joined by residents and community members at a ceremony Saturday, April 14, to rename the 500 block of MacDonough Street where the Baseball Hall of Famer lived from 1946 to 1952, the New York Post reported.
The New York City Council unanimously approved the co-naming of MacDonough Street in February, according to Brooklyn Reporter.
On April 15, 1947, Robinson broke the professional baseball color barrier when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base, according to the Brooklyn Historical Society. The renaming ceremony was held one day before the 71st anniversary of Robinson’s history-making debut as Major League Baseball’s first African-American player.
Today is #JackieRobinsonDay marking 71 years since #42 broke baseball’s color barrier in his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Yesterday, I was honored to take part in renaming the block where he lived, in MacDonough Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, “Jackie Robinson Way.” pic.twitter.com/rGtaObBEf5 — Eric Gonzalez (@BrooklynDA) April 15, 2018
“As we continue the process of fighting for equality and representation, it is important to remember the struggles that people like Jackie Robinson faced to get us to where we are today and to ensure that our younger generations know this history too,” Public Advocate James said at the ceremony. “And I know this street will serve as a constant reminder of him and his life’s work.”
To learn more about Robinson, the Brooklyn Historical Society is currently exhibiting Until Everyone Has Made It: Jackie Robinson’s Legacy. The exhibition is on view at 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights through June 2018.