Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) was the first African American baseball player in Major League Baseball. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the baseball color line. He was incredibly successful winning the title Rookie of the Year and winning 6 consecutive All-Star seasons. Additionally, he won the National League Most Valued Player Award and contributed to the Dodger's win in the World Series. Robinson actually contributed to King's idea of fighting segregation with nonviolence by using his outstanding talent and effort to challenge segregation.Jackie Robinson was born into a family of sharecroppers in Georgia. He grew up with 4 siblings while his mom worked many jobs to support the family. As he grew up, he was often excluded from recreational activities. When Robinson enrolled in high school, his talent for various sports became obvious and his siblings, Frank and Mack, inspired and pushed him on the athletic path where he played varsity for basketball, baseball, football, tennis, and track. As he attended college, he continued his passion for sports and he won the scholastic and citizenship record.
Despite his amazing skills, he still received a huge amount of insults and threats because of his race. This caused many to question the idea of "separate but equal." However, he never gave up and only fought harder and paved a way to the Civil Rights Movement. His success encouraged many more African Americans to join national baseball, football, etc leagues. Nine days before Robinson died, he said on television, "I'd like to live to see a black manager."
1 comment:
You did a great job organizing this post! I think that it is incredible to see a black athlete achieve so much, despite the social class he was in. I think that this is especially apparent because he had obvious talent and remained persistent, even in the social climate of Georgia.
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