Next week commemorates the 56th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier. To celebrate his achievements, GW’s Jackie Robinson Society and the Multicultural Student Services Center are hosting Jackie Robinson week April 14-19.

The organizations are bringing several guest speakers, including noted Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon, to campus for discussion on Robinson’s contributions to baseball and society. The week will culminate in the second annual “Jackie Robinson baseball game” played by the Colonial baseball team Saturday.

“The most important part of this week is to get Jackie Robinson’s story out,” said senior David Browne, president of the Jackie Robinson Society. “People don’t realize that he helped jump start the civil rights movement in America.”

Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in the Major Leagues when he started at first base for the Dodgers on April 15, 1947 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, N.Y. Signed by General Manager Branch Rickey two years earlier, the former Negro League great changed the face of professional baseball. After retiring from baseball, the former second lieutenant in the army continued his role as a civil rights leader and helped change the face of America.

Sociology professor Richard Zamoff, GW’s resident Jackie Robinson expert and professor of “Jackie Robinson: Sports, Race and the American Dream,” said the upcoming week will appeal to the entire GW community, as well as the D.C. community.

“People in the field often say Robinson is both a symbol of change and a catalyst to the world,” Zamoff said. “Here we are, 56 years after he came into the American consciousness, and when it comes to picking athletes for advertisements like Mercedes and Apple computers, it’s not the Tigers (Woods) or the (Michael) Jordans, it’s Jackie Robinson. He’s much more than a baseball player.”

The week’s events, designed to show the lasting legacy of Robinson outside the baseball diamond, will begin Monday with a viewing of Ken Burns’ “The History of Baseball: Inning Six,” which focuses on Robinson’s entrance into Major League Baseball. The event, which starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Marvin Center Continental Ballroom, will also include a presentation by Joseph Dorinson on Robinson’s role as a civil rights leader. Dorinson, a history professor at Long Island University, co-authored the book “Jackie Robinson: Race, sports and the American Dream.”

Wilbon, who in addition to his work with the Post co-hosts ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” will discuss Robinson’s life nearly 60 years after he broke into the major leagues Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom.

Thursday at 7 p.m., Earlham College Professor of Sociology Stephen Butler will discuss “Jackie Robinson: Context, Change and Pushing the Envelope,” and the NBA’s Orlando Magic Senior Vice President Pat Williams will talk about his upcoming book, “How to Be Like Jackie” in room 113 at 1957 E St.

MSSC director Marisela Martinez said her favorite program is Friday’s event, the one-man show “A visit with Branch Rickey.” Professor John Chalberg will play Rickey, providing insight into the life of the former general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who went against the sentiments of some other white players and managers in baseball and gave Robinson the chance to become a major league player. The performance starts at 7 p.m. in Funger Hall room 108.

“When it comes to issues of race and politics, we can get so caught up in the intellectual aspect, we forget about the heart of the issue,” Martinez said. “What I love about the program is that it is introducing the heart of the issue. It helps get every student passionate about it.”

The week will culminate with the second annual Jackie Robinson baseball game when the Colonials take on Duquesne at Barcroft Park Saturday at noon. Zamoff said there will be a special program distributed for the game, the public address announcer will say a few words and head coach Tom Walter and the assistant coaches will select a GW player who best exemplifies Jackie Robinson’s qualities.

“Baseball is where Robinson became well known and where he jumped onto the national scene, so we thought it would be fitting to incorporate our baseball team into the festivities and be a nice way to end the week,” Browne said.

-Lauren Silva contributed to this report.