March 29, 2005

MEDIA CONTACT:
Eric Solomon: (202) 994-3087; solomone@gwu.edu
EVENT CONTACT:
Richard Zamoff: (202) 994-6345; zradembums@aol.com 

GW CELEBRATES JACKIE ROBINSON WEEK AS THE NATIONALS OPEN THEIR INAUGURAL SEASON IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
APRIL 11-14
 
Special Guest Sharon Robinson, Daughter of the Late Baseball Great,
will Take Part in a Discussion of Her Father's Legacy

EVENT: 

As part of its ongoing Jackie Robinson Project, The George Washington University welcomes the community to take part in discussions on the life and legacy of the man who broke baseball's color barrier.
 
AGENDA: 

Monday, April 11, 2005
The George Washington University
1957 E St., N.W.
Room 213  
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

• Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, will informally discuss the life and legacy of the man who broke the American pastime's color barrier and played a vital role as a community and social activist.
  
• Stephen Butler, professor of sociology and African American studies at
  Earlham College, will discuss "Regarding Robinson: Context, Change, and
  Pushing the Envelope."

Tuesday, April 12, 2005
The George Washington University
Marvin Center Grand Ballroom
800 21st St., N.W.
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

• Wayne Embry, consultant to the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball
  Association, will discuss his experiences as an NBA player and as an executive with the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Embry, often referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of the front office," was the first African American to serve as general manager of a major sport.
  
• Bijan Bayne, author of Sky Kings: Black Pioneers of Professional Basketball, will discuss the desegregation of the National Basketball Association and compare and
  contrast these experiences to those of Jackie Robinson.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 
GW Hillel Association
2300 H St., N.W. (Second Floor Auditorium)
12:30 - 2 p.m.

• John Chalberg, professor of history at Normandale Community College, will perform his highly acclaimed one-man show, A Visit with Branch Rickey.  The show will provide insight into the reasons the Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager signed Jackie Robinson to a contract and clarifies Rickey's views on a number of baseball and non-baseball topics.

Thursday, April 14, 2005
GW Hillel Association
2300 H St., N.W. (Second Floor Auditorium)
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

• A panel of academicians will discuss their recollections of Jackie Robinson and his impact on their professional and personal lives, including the delivery of the celebrated poem, "Jackie at the Bat."  

COST: 

All events are free and open to the public. 
 
BACKGROUND:
 
Jackie Robinson Week is co-sponsored by the Jackie Robinson Society and The George Washington University Multicultural Student Services Center. The society, started in 1999 by GW students, sponsors discussions about Robinson and participates in community service projects that associate his name and life's work with good deeds. GW students were inspired to form the Jackie Robinson Society after taking a course titled Jackie Robinson: Race, Sports, and the American Dream.  The class, which is offered each fall by GW's Department of Sociology, explores the full impact of Jackie Robinson both on baseball and American society. Course content is based on research stemming from the Jackie Robinson Project, launched in 1996 and underwritten by the Humanities Council of D.C., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers. GW's Multicultural Student Services Center is a campus organization that provides services, educational programming, and social and cultural activities to enhance multicultural ideals.

For more information about these events or the Jackie Robinson Project, call Richard Zamoff, GW adjunct associate professor of sociology, at (202) 994-6345.
For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

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