Jackie Robinson is justly revered as a world-famous American hero for breaking baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Far less known are the other extraordinary Americans who, against impossible odds, never gave up the struggle to integrate baseball. From the Negro Leagues to the Black press, Pullman porters to pioneering units under fire in WWII, these unsung heroes kept the dream of an integrated national pastime alive and prepared the path for Robinson—decades before Brooklyn. Wider appreciation is long past due for their courage and their role in breaking the color barrier. This is their story.

Ted Reinstein is an award-winning, longtime reporter for Boston’s celebrated nightly-news magazine, “Chronicle.” He is the author of three previous books, including New England Notebook: One Reporter, Six States, Uncommon Stories (Globe Pequot Press), selected by National Geographic Traveler in 2014 as a “Best Pick.”

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