Breaking Barriers
Who was Jackie Robinson?
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player, who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era.
In 1935, Robinson graduated from Washington Junior High School, then enrolled at John Muir High School (Muir Tech). He played several sports at varsity level and *lettered in four of them: basketball, football, track, and baseball. The following year Robinson won the junior boys’ singles championship in the annual Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament and earned a place on the Pomona annual baseball tournament all-star team. After Muir Tech he attended Pasadena Junior College (PJC), where he continued his athletic career in basketball, football, baseball, and track. While playing at PJC, Robinson suffered a fractured ankle, which delayed his deployment status in the military.
After graduating from PJC, in 1939, he continued his education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA he became the school’s first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports, however due to financial hardships, in 1941, Robinson was forced to leave UCLA. He then traveled to Honolulu in the fall of 1941 to play football for the semi-professional racially integrated Honolulu Bears, but his season was cut short when the United States entered World War II. From 1942-1944 he served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army, but never saw combat.
During boot camp in 1944, Robinson was arrested for refusing t give up his seat and move to the back of a segregated bus. In the end he was acquitted of the charged and received an honorable discharge. After his discharge from the army, he began to play baseball professionally. Two years later he joined the all-white Montreal Royals, eventually moving to Florida to begin spring training. As stated by Biography, Branch Rickey – president of the Brooklyn Dodgers – knew difficult times were ahead, and made Robinson promise not to fight back when confronted with racism. He also tested Robinson’s reactions to racial slurs, and insults he knew he would face. Some of his new teammates objected to having an African American on their team, crowds sometimes insulted him, and Robinson and his family received threats. Despite the racial abuse, he had an outstanding start with the Royals, leading to the International League with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage. This led him to his promotion with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
On April 15th, 1947, Robinson made history as the first Black athlete to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century, playing his first game at Ebbets Field for the Dodgers. As stated by Wikipedia, during one infamous game, Ben Chapman – manager of the Philadelphia Phillies – and his team shouted derogatory terms at Robinson from their dugout. Most opposing players, and his own teammates threatened to sit out, however Dodgers manager, Leo Durocher, informed them that he would trade them rather than Robinson. Durocher set the tone for the rest of Robinson’s career with the team. Another legendary moment in baseball history was when Pee Wee Reese walked over and put his arms around Robinson while fans harassed him from the stands.
On October 24th, 1972, at 53 years old, Jackie Robinson passed away due to a heart attack.
Vocabulary
Lettered | An award earned by participation in a school sport
Books
*Kids*
I Am Jackie Robinson | Brad Meltzer
The Hero Two Doors Down | Sharon Robinson
Jackie Robinson: He Led the Way | April Prince
Jackie Robinson: American Hero | Sharon Robinson
The Robinson: Strong Inside and Out | Denise Lewis Patrick
The Story of Jackie Robinson | Andrea Thorpe
Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson | Robert Burleigh
Jackie’s Gift | Sharon Robinson
*Adults*
Promises to Keep | Sharon Robinson
42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story | Ed Henry
Movie(s) | Film(S) | Documentaries
The Jackie Robinson Story |1950
Soul of the Game | 1996
Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush | 2007
Pee Wee & Jackie: Pee Wee Reese & Jackie Robinson | 2008
Source(s)
"Jackie Robinson." Biography, 25 October 2017, https://www.biography.com/athlete/jackie-robinson
"Jackie Robinson." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 May 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson
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