An article highlighting Jackie Robinson's military service was temporarily removed from the Department of Defense's website. It has now reportedly been restored and is accessible once more.
The purge came in a concerted effort to remove articles from the DoD's website that highlighted contributions by women and minority groups after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end federal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Other similar articles got scrubbed as well.
The article focused on the racism Robinson faced in both baseball and the military. Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, couldn't believe Robinson's service was considered DEI:
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“This is American history. And Jackie Robinson epitomizes, in my view, what it means to be an American. He embodies that, just as so many players of the Negro Leagues did.
"So these kinds of initiatives are certainly alarming. It makes the value of an institution like the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum that much more important.”
The Department of Defense, under new secretary Pete Hegseth, has attempted to, according to a statement, get rid of all "Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military."
That momentarily seemed to, in the Department's eyes anyway, include the former Los Angeles Dodgers star's story, though that has been rectified.
Jackie Robinson foundation member reacts to DEI scrub
David Robinson, the son of Jackie and Rachel Robinson and a Jackie Robinson Foundation board member, said in a statement that the foundation was stunned to find out the article had been removed.
He said they take "great pride" in Robinson's service and his role as a "sports hero." The board member added, via The Athletic:
“[He is] an icon whose courage, talent, strength of character and dedication contributed greatly to leveling the playing field not only in professional sports but throughout society.
"He worked tirelessly on behalf of equal opportunities, in education, business, civic engagement, and within the justice system. A recipient of both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, he of course is an American hero.”
The MLB did not respond to a request for comment. However, with the article back up on the Department of Defense's website, this story is seemingly finished.
