Rachel Robinson | |
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 Robinson in 1997 | |
| Born | Rachel Annetta Isum (1922-07-19)July 19, 1922 (age 103) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Manual Arts High School |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation(s) | Nurse, professor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award (2007) Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award (2017) |
Rachel Annetta Robinson (néeIsum; born July 19, 1922) is an American former professor and registered nurse. She is the widow of professional baseball playerJackie Robinson. After her husband's death, she founded theJackie Robinson Foundation.
Rachel Isum was born inLos Angeles, California, and attendedManual Arts High School inLos Angeles,California, and theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[1] At UCLA, she metJackie Robinson in 1941 prior to his leaving UCLA when his baseball eligibility ran out. She graduated from UCLA on June 1, 1945, with abachelor's degree in nursing. Rachel and Robinson married on February 10, 1946,[2] the year before he broke into the big leagues. They had three children: Jackie Robinson Jr. (1946–1971), who died in an automobile crash at age 24, Sharon Robinson (born 1950), and David Robinson (born 1952).[3]
After Jackie Robinson's retirement from baseball following the 1956 season, Rachel Robinson further pursued her nursing career, obtaining a master's degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University in 1959.[2] She worked as a researcher and clinician at theAlbert Einstein College of Medicine's Department of Social and Community Psychiatry, a position she held for five years.[4] She then became an assistant professor atYale School of Nursing and later theDirector of Nursing at the Connecticut Mental Health Center.[4][5]
In 1972, she incorporated the Jackie Robinson Development Corporation, a real estate development company specializing in low- to moderate-income housing, and served as president for ten years. In 1973, she founded theJackie Robinson Foundation, a not-for-profit organization providing educational and leadership opportunities for minority students. The Foundation has provided support for over 1,000 minority students and has maintained a 97% graduation rate among its scholars.[4]
In 1996, she coauthoredJackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait with Lee Daniels, published by Abrams Publishing Company.[4][6]
In 2007, Robinson received theCommissioner's Historic Achievement Award by CommissionerBud Selig.[7]
In 2009, Robinson was awarded the UCLA Medal from ChancellorGene Block for her lifetime achievements. The UCLA Medal is the university's highest honor and was created to "honor those individuals who have made extraordinary and distinguished contributions to their professions, to higher education, to our society, and to the people of UCLA."[5] In addition to earning twelve honorary doctorates, Robinson was awarded theCandace Award for Distinguished Service from theNational Coalition of 100 Black Women, theEquitable Life Black Achiever's Award and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award.[4]
Robinson was inducted into theBaseball Reliquary'sShrine of the Eternals in 2014.[8] In 2017, she received theBuck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award from theNational Baseball Hall of Fame.[9]
TheJackie Robinson Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to minority youths for higher education, as well as preserving the legacy of Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. It was founded in 1973 by Rachel Robinson and is located inNew York City.[10]
Robinson was portrayed byRuby Dee in the 1950 filmThe Jackie Robinson Story and byNicole Beharie in the 2013 film42.[11]
On July 19, 2022, Robinsonturned 100.[12] She currently resides on a 60-acre (24-hectare) farm inSalem, Connecticut.[13]
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