The Westport Library, the Westport Center for Senior Activities, and Meryl Moss Media Group are honored to announce the inaugural Jackie Robinson Essay Contest, open to area residents age 60 and over.
The essay contest, organized by the Library’s Common Ground Initiative, asks its submitters to answer the following question in 800 words or less: “Jackie Robinson stands as an icon of equality and civil rights. What does that say about the power of his legacy, of the place of sports in our culture, and about our modern-day society?”
Essays can be submitted to our online portal — click here to submit — with a deadline of Monday, March 24. A panel will review the essays and announce the winners on Jackie Robinson Day, April 15.
In addition, the submitted essays will be collected into a book — and an accompanying ebook — distributed by Meryl Moss Media. The winners will also receive Jackie Robinson memorabilia, a chance to be featured by the Jackie Robinson Museum, and tickets to a New York Mets home game in late April/early May — the Mets’ stadium, Citi Field, is home to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda — to further celebrate Robinson’s legacy and their contributions.
“Jackie Robinson was a trailblazer, a groundbreaker, and an icon both for Major League Baseball and the civil rights movement,” said Bill Harmer, Westport Library executive director. “All of which makes him the ideal focus for this new essay contest, to engage our community in a way that is meaningful, and as a library that prizes reading, writing, community, and the exploration of ideas, most fitting. We are grateful to all our wonderful partners for helping make this contest a reality, and we can’t wait to read the incoming submissions.”
“We are thrilled to work with The Westport Library on this important new program to showcase essays from talented new voices,” said Meryl Moss, CEO, Meryl Moss Media Group.
Playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, becoming the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era. He went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career that included more than 1,500 hits, 137 home runs, and 197 stolen bases.
Robinson later became the first African American to hold an officer-level position at a major corporation, served as an advisor to top politicians, actively promoted economic empowerment by co-founding a bank and a housing development company, and was a key figure in advancing equal justice and first-class citizenship from the 1950s until his death in 1972. (Information courtesy the Jackie Robinson Museum.)
Contest participants are encouraged to explore how Robinson’s baseball career fits into his lifelong commitment to advancing equality at the Jackie Robinson Museum, which is located in lower Manhattan and provides resources online at jackierobinsonmuseum.org.
