Jackie Robinson's Birthplace Marker In Georgia Rededicated

GEORGIA — A small Georgia community recently dedicated two historical markers at the birthplace of Jackie Robinson after the original was vandalized by gunfire last year.

Robinson’s hometown of Cairo replaced the damaged marker, with help from Major League Baseball, and added a duplicate marker at a library last week.

According to the MLB, the two new historical markers will allow residents and visitors to learn more about one of baseball’s — and American society’s — most important historical figures.

“It wasn’t easy to hear what happened down here,” MLB’s senior manager of community affairs Kevin Moss said in a news release. “But I’m proud to work for a company that stands by a certain set of values, not only with action, but also with dollars.”

MLB gave a $40,000 gift to the Georgia Historical Society, which allowed it to replace the damaged marker at Robinson’s birthplace and create an endowment fund named in his memory.

The endowment will provide perpetual care for the historical markers.

The new marker of Robinson’s birthplace sits along County Route 154 in Cairo. The original one was erected in 2001; however, someone shot it up last year. A separate historical marker is also located at the Roddenbery Memorial Library in downtown Cairo.

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The dedication of the markers took place Friday at the library with the help of the Georgia Historical Society, the MBL and the Jackie Robinson Cairo Memorial Institute.

The vandalized marker will ultimately head to the Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to be put on display in mid-April.

Curator and museum vice president Ray Doswell told the Kansas City Star that displaying the defaced marker is an opportunity to teach the public about Robinson’s story and combat hate.

Robinson was the first African American to be named MLB Rookie of the Year, the first to win baseball’s Most Valuable Player award and the first to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.