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Rev. Jesse Jackson is helping Major League Baseball mark the 67th anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, praising Commissioner Bud Selig for the strides the sport has taken in minority opportunities over the past two decades.

Jackson traveled to baseball's 1992 winter meetings to criticize its lack of minorities in management, and he pushed for change.

Selig retired Robinson's No. 42 in 1997 on the 50th anniversary of the big league debut of the Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman. Selig established a Diverse Business Partners program the following year and in 1999 started requiring clubs to consider at least one minority for each manager and major executive opening. MLB also sponsors 35 Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars.

Jackson says Tuesday that Jackie Robinson Day has become "a national holiday for all practical purposes."