Jackie Robinson’s daughter excited about ’42’

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Jackie Robinson’s daughter says she and her family are excited about a new movie about her father, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

Sharon Robinson tells The Advocate of Stamford that “42” does a good job of highlighting the resistance and prejudice faced by her father, who died in 1972, and it could help people discuss the lack of equal opportunity.

Robinson, who grew up in Stamford, says that while her father faced stress and turmoil as a trailblazer, he felt great fulfillment raising a family with his wife, Rachel, and raising consciousness about the need for equal rights for blacks and other minorities.

Robinson says she and her mother, now, 91, and older brother David are excited about “42,” which opens in theaters Friday.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

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