It has been nearly 70 years since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, and the late Hall of Famer’s widow is still trying to advocate for more changes to be made in the sport in the name of racial equality.
In a recent Q&A about a two-part PBS documentary called “Jackie Robinson” that will air in April, Rachel Robinson raised concerns about how few minority coaches and managers there currently are across the MLB.
“There is a lot more that needs to be done and that can be done in terms of the hiring, the promotion (of minorities in the sport),” Robinson said. “We’re talking about very few (black) coaches, very few managers … so there’s room for real progress, where people can come into the sport and feel they’re going to be respected and given opportunities.”
As David Brown of CBSSports.com notes, the number of minority managers has dwindled since its peak of 10 in 2009. Dusty Baker and Dave Roberts of the Reds are the only African-American managers. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez is the lone Latino manager. There are also just two black general managers — Dave Stewart of the Diamondbacks and the Marlins’ Michael Hill. Farhan Zaidi of the Dodgers, who is of Pakistani descent, and Al Avila of the Tigers, who is Latino, are the only other two minority GMs.
With the Dodgers planning to unveil a moving tribute to Jackie Robinson this season, it’s only fitting that Rachel continues to carry on her husband’s legacy.
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
