Hands On History: Jackie in Queens

April 15th marks the 76th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s racial barrier by making his game debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first black male athlete to do so. Although he was a Brooklyn Dodger, he lived in the Addisleigh Park area of St. Albans, Queens from 1949 to 1955, and his home is now a historical landmark!

In the 1930s, Jackie’s historic home once belonged in a suburban neighborhood designated only to white people – black people were prohibited from buying a home in this area. Jackie purchased the home for around $100 in 1949, a year after the Supreme Court ruled that racially restrictive deed clauses, like the ones in Addisleigh Park, violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Jackie, his wife Rachel, and their children resided in Queens until 1955, the same year Jackie helped the Dodgers win their first (and only) World Championship. He even convinced star catcher and teammate Roy Campanella to move into the neighborhood too!

Join the folks an King Manor as they celebrate the boundary-breaking legacy of one of baseball’s brightest stars, learn about his time in Queens, and design your own baseball pennant!