Jackie Robinson Foundation's An Afternoon Of Jazz Fund-Raiser Features Regina Belle

Jet, July 23, 2001

Grammy Award-winning vocalist Regina Belle electrified thousands of fans with her signature R&B sound when she recently headlined at the Jackie Robinson Foundation's An Afternoon of Jazz in Norwalk, CT.

"I feel privileged and honored to be able to perform at An After noon of Jazz," said Belle, renowned for her soulful ballads Baby Come to Me and A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme). "Jackie Robinson was truly a champion both on and off the field, among men and women alike. It is only befitting that there is a scholarship fund in his name to benefit minorities."

More than 7,000 music lovers grooved to the sounds of Belle and other famous and emerging artists, including Lionel Hampton & His Big Band and The Billy Taylor Trio, on a warm Sunday afternoon at Cranbury Park. The annual festival, co-sponsored by the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Texaco, raises money for college scholarships and leadership opportunities for minority youth.

The festival's rich history dates back to the last Sunday in June 1963, when the late baseball icon Jackie Robinson, the first Black to play in the Major Leagues, and wife Rachel hosted a jazz concert on the lawn of their Stamford, CT, home to raise funds for jailed civil rights leaders and to support civil rights groups.

Premier jazz artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughn and Big Joe Williams responded generously to invites to perform, and over the years the festival has expanded its reach to embrace R&B and Latin sounds and to support youth education.

The Jackie Robinson Foundation (JRF), a nonprofit organization established in 1973 by Rachel Robinson, provided more than $1 million in college scholarships for the 2000- 2001 academic year. More than 730 students have been awarded JRF scholarships.