Budweiser, Spike Lee, MLB and JRF collaborate on “Impact,” a short film celebrating the centennial of Jackie Robinson’s birth.
When you combine the talent of Oscar-winning director Spike Lee, The Jackie Robinson Foundation and MLB’s dedication to preserving the legacy of baseball’s most important figure, you get “Impact”, a 3-minute film directed by Lee and narrated by Jackie Robinson’s daughter, Sharon Robinson.
“Impact” was created to celebrate Jackie Robinson as an activist and American hero, and is the cornerstone of the new season-long campaign kicking off on MLB Opening Day on March 28th.
The Shadow League was fortunate enough to preview the short film at NeueHouse in Manhattan on Monday night. The film spotlights how Jackie broke baseball’s color barrier after many years of segregation in the sport.
“I’m honored to work with Sharon Robinson and Budweiser. All of us working in unison to pay homage to a great American who literally changed the game with the impact he made. Long Live Jackie Robinson!” said Spike Lee, who is out of the country working on a new film.
Sharon Robinson worked closely with Lee and Budweiser on the curation of the campaign, narrating “Impact” with powerful commentary that captures how Jackie continues to shift cultural paradigms to this day.
As part of the campaign, Budweiser is raising money for the Jackie Robinson Foundation to help support the Jackie Robinson Museum opening in New York City. Budweiser also created limited edition Jackie Robinson “42” aluminum bottles for the MLB season.
Marked with Jackie’s signature, 42 cents from every bottle sold will be donated to the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
The film parallels Jackie’s impact on baseball with a wider discussion on unity and inclusion.
It builds to a finish that showcases an inspiring collection of local advocates who are enacting change and progress every day through their own impact on local communities.
These local advocates were inspired by Jackie’s impact, and are enacting change and progress every day in their communities.
Nzingha Prescod
Professional/Olympic Foil Fencer
Nzingha Prescod is an American female foil fencer and a bronze medalist at the 2015 World Fencing Championships. She took part in the individual event of the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she was defeated by Hungary’s Aida Mohamed for the Gold Medal in the Women’s Team Foil competition. In 2018, Nzinga had a historic win as the first women’s foil World Championship title for the United States in the history of the event
“There’s a long American tradition of people taking their painful hidden truths and turn it into justice…,” Prescod told The Shadow League. “It’s so hard to be what you can’t see and just knowing that Jackie was able to do what he did made all the difference to encourage me to believe in myself …in a sport dominated by white men…and change the world too.”
Dustin Ross
LGBTQ Advocate, Podcaster, & Writer
Based in New York City and the host of Friend Zone Podcast, a weekly show focused on mental health wellness in the African American & Latin X Community that reaches over 150k+ listeners per episode, Dustin is also very active in community work. He was recently featured in OUT Magazine’s “Out 100 Issue” highlighting his work for Black LGBTQ Community and in media
“Everyday I’m personally inspired by Jackie Robinson, being the first of his kind was unheard of in 1947,” Ross told The Shadow League. ” I like to take advantage of being the first of my kind in different spaces and opening doors for people who look like me to come after me.”
Amanda Nguyen
Founder and CEO of Rise, a non-governmental civil rights organization
A rape survivor who has changed Sexual Assault Laws in America, her organization, Rise, has helped pass support for the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights in 19 states across the country. As a member of NASA’s space program, Nguyen is currently training to become an astronaut.
“I think the burning questions that I have when I wake up are what is my place in the universe and what am I going to do about it,” Nguyen said. “I think both astrophysics and civil rights answers the same question… I want young (Asian) girls to look at me and see that they have a right to be human…It’s OK… You can want to be an astronaut and also fight for your civil rights. “
JR’s 100th Birthday Anniversary
Major League Baseball has preserved the indelible impact of Jackie Robinson on the culture of baseball by honoring him every season on April 15th – the anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier. It is a day in which the entire league wears No. 42 and ceremonies, celebrations, exciting games and historical reflections fill MLB parks.
This season, MLB has ramped up its efforts in celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ birth during the entire 2019 baseball season. MLB has planned a series of ceremonies and youth initiatives to run each month that are connected to the life of Jackie Robinson. The events take place in partnership with the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Robinson’s wife Rachel, daughter Sharon and son, David.
The league has also incorporated celebrity sports fans, creators and urban taste-makers to help spread the spirit of Jackie Robinson’s life and continue to expand its marketing reach. The campaign culminates with the grand opening of Manhattan’s Jackie Robinson Museum in December.
