As members of the Museum’s Education Team, we have been actively building community at the Museum and beyond through a series of vibrant programs and partnerships: celebrating Jackie Robinson Day with hundreds of people across NYC; spending a sunny afternoon in the Bronx at INCLUDEnyc’s Outdoor for Autism event; welcoming visitors to ACCESS JRM, our sensory-friendly hours; An Afternoon of Jazz on Juneteenth, and more! Each event created new ways for us to foster connections and learning, all while honoring the legacies of Jackie and Rachel Robinson.

Jazz at the Museum

On June 19, the Museum looked back at the Robinsons’ famous An Afternoon of Jazz concerts. Jackie, Rachel and the Robinson children hosted the concerts at their Connecticut home starting in 1963 in support of the Civil Rights Movement and they continued annually for nearly 40 years. For this community event, we collaborated with Jazz at Lincoln Center to bring the feeling of those concerts into the museum.

Interactive musical performances by Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Goussy Célestin and her band kept the sold-out crowd engaged and entertained through musical elements like call and response and a traditional New Orleans second line.

Jazz at Lincoln Center gets young visitors on their feet!

Between performances, families made their way to the classroom to create instruments inspired by what they heard. The celebration of An Afternoon of Jazz and June’s designation as Black Music Month inspired us to take a fresh look at the Museum’s stories in the custom-designed gallery tour highlighting the intersection of two great American inventions—baseball and jazz—through the lens of the Great Migration.

Participants in the original concert series came to share their memories and photos from the joyous concerts. Check out the clip below to listen to one of our visitors reminisce about their experience at An Afternoon of Jazz.

An Afternoon of Jazz wrapped up a strong spring line-up. Learn more about what we’ve been up to below!

Jackie Robinson Day

The Jackie Robinson Museum Heads Uptown…

To Harlem! We began our celebration of Jackie Robinson Day by returning to Harlem’s Jackie Robinson Park for their 3rd annual Jackie Robinson Day Festival. Community members dropped by our station to learn about the many experiences the Museum has to offer and discover even more about their park’s namesake.

Participants test their Jackie Robinson knowledge with a game of trivia

Jackie Robinson Day at the Museum

On April 15, the Jackie Robinson Museum celebrated the 78th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s historic debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Visitors of all ages participated in engaging activities that allowed them to understand and reflect on the significance of Jackie Robinson’s entry into Major League Baseball.

We were delighted to have honored guest and Museum visionary, Rachel Robinson, join us in recognition of her husband Jackie Robinson’s barrier breaking moment in baseball history.

MLB Analyst Harold Reynolds, Dellin Betances of the MLB Commissioner Ambassador Program, and MLB Network host A.J. Andrews pose with Rachel Robinson and Nike RBI participants during the Jackie Robinson Day Nike RBI event at the Jackie Robinson Museum. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

In collaboration with MLB’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities) program, which supports youth baseball and softball leagues in under-served communities, over 100 youth players, family members, and coaches joined us to honor Jackie Robinson Day at the Museum. Former MLB All-Star Dellin Betances and former professional softball player and MLB Network host A.J. Andrews kicked off the day by imparting the importance of hard work and tenacity on the eager RBI members.

In addition to hosting RBI, MLB’s generous sponsorship allowed the Museum to offer free admission to all on April 15, with hundreds of guests joining the RBI community for the afternoon’s line-up of offerings.

Visitors explore items from the education collection

Educator Theresa DeCicco offered visitors a hands-on experience with museum objects from the Museum’s teaching collection that represented Jackie Robinson’s career on and off the field. Guided tours led by Curatorial Assistant Sidney Carlson White and gallery scavenger hunts gave visitors their pick of ways to explore the Museum and many guests snapped a photo at the “Moves Like Jackie” station to see how their moves matched up against Robinson’s legendary skills.

A group smiles for picture at the Moves Like Jackie photo station

Our week-long celebration didn’t end there. On April 17, visitors joined Museum Educator Lavita Burr for an installation of our “Third Thursday” lunchtime tours that told the story of the first Jackie Robinson Day in September of 1947, with a spotlight on artifacts like Jackie Robinson’s game-worn Dodgers jersey and bat from that day.

Later that day, we made our way to Citi Field for the New York Mets’ Black Legacy Game. Mets fans played the Museum’s “Citi Field Challenge,” a stadium-wide scavenger hunt, and tried their hand at fun-filled activities, all while celebrating Jackie Robinson’s impact on the Mets, past and present.

What eventful week of collaboration and partnerships! From Harlem to Queens, we always have a great time celebrating Jackie Robinson’s legacy wherever we go.

INCLUDEnyc’s Outdoors for Autism

On the first day of June, we stepped outside the Museum walls and headed up to the Bronx, just a few blocks from Yankee Stadium, to take part in Outdoors for Autism (OFA). This annual event is hosted by INCLUDEnyc, an organization that brings love, equity, and access to young people with disabilities in New York City by providing them and their families with the resources and support they need. As part of this phenomenal work, Outdoors for Autism, held at Rev. T. Wendell Foster Park, offers an afternoon of sensory-friendly fun, specifically for young people with autism and their families, though all are welcome.

Throughout this day, organizations like Asphalt Green, Bronx Children’s Museum, Intrepid Museum, New York Public Library, Special Olympics New York – and us! – hosted a variety of engaging activities, from arts and crafts to musical performances to obstacle courses.

At our station, visitors had the chance to explore different aspects of Jackie Robinson’s life through a collection of hands-on “touch objects.” These included a Dodgers baseball cap highlighting his baseball career and a March on Washington button highlighting his activism — but the crowd favorite was the vintage rotary phone, representing Jackie’s time as a businessman at Chock full o’ Nuts. The phone was an absolute hit with all ages as the kids loved pretending to make calls, while adults enjoyed the nostalgia of life before smartphones.

We also brought our signature “Jump Like Jackie” challenge, inviting OFA attendees to test their track-and-field skills and see how close they could get to Jackie’s legendary 25 ½-foot broad jump record. This challenge drew excitement and participation from children and adults alike, who kept returning to try inch closer to Jackie’s record.

In addition to this great lineup of activities, we Manager of Youth Programs and Access Initiatives Sydney Augustine had the chance to connect with parents and guardians and fellow vendors, share information about upcoming programs at the Museum, and learn more about ways we can strengthen our accessibility efforts.

Overall, it was a joy-filled day of learning, movement, and connection that celebrated inclusivity while honoring Jackie’s multifaceted legacy We’re grateful Director of Program Operations Rich Overton, and the rest of the INCLUDEnyc team for having us and look forward to continuing to build on the connections we made back at the Museum.

ACCESS JRM

Just a few days after Outdoors for Autism, we welcomed a group from the Museum, Arts, and Culture Access Consortium (MAC) to the Museum during ACCESS JRM, our recurring sensory-friendly hours.

MAC is a disability-affirming organization that has worked for over 30 years to increase access to cultural institutions in and around New York City for the disability community through connection, learning, and advocacy. As an institutional member of MAC, we were proud to host this group and are especially grateful to Arielle Lever, Project Manager of Supporting Transitions, and Isha Gulati, Programs & Membership Director, for helping make this visit possible.

During MAC’s visit, our Education team shared our accessibility initiatives and accommodations, like our KultureCity sensory bags and social narrative. Educator Theresa DeCicco led a tour of the Museum and invited MAC members to visit our educator stations—featuring objects from jazz records to a replica Kansas City Monarchs jersey—for a tactile learning opportunity to complement the exhibitions.

ACCESS JRM sensory-friendly hours kicked off in January 2025 and are proud to continue creating welcoming experiences for all visitors. Join our mailing list and follow us on social media to stay up to date when we announce the fall schedule!

What’s Next?

Stay tuned for another great slate of programs for visitors of all ages this fall!