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Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in major league baseball on April 15, 1947. He went 0 for 3. He reached base once, scoring a run in a Brooklyn Dodgers victory. As a statistical line it was not the most auspicious of debuts. That Robinson debuted at all was the greatest accomplishment of the day.

Jackie Robinson is remembered for that day in April 1947, but for so much more as well. Not only was the first African-American to play Major League baseball, he did it under extraordinary circumstances. He experienced the full force of American racism both on and off the field. He stood up to that racism during his playing career and well beyond. Jackie Robinson’s fight against discrimination and inequality didn’t end with his Major League debut, it had barely started. His stellar career and continued activism afterward are what make him a hero.