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Jackie Robinson

Who: Jackie Robinson was the first black major league baseball player. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, won the MLB 1947 Rookie-of-the-Year Award, and only two years later was awarded the National League Most Valuable Player Award. He played with the Dodgers in six World Series. He was a champion of baseball, and he was a "Champion of Civil Rights" (History Channel). Not only was he the pivotal start to the integration of races in Major League Baseball, but he also spoke out against southern Jim Crow laws and pushed for integration in other fields of employment.
He married Rachel Robinson in 1946, and they became the parents of three children. Jackie was a devoted husband and father.

How I learned about him: I have known who Jackie Robinson was since elementary school, I distinctly remember seeing one of his MLB photos in a school textbook. I knew he was a key part of the civil rights movement and was a talented ball player. However, I don't feel I knew much of his life or what he endured to courageously spur the social and political and moral changes he did. Two years ago, I started to see more clearly when one of my sports-loving students brought me this book and asked me to read it out loud to the class:


This children's novel shares the perspective of a young Jewish boy, Steve, living in Brooklyn who was ecstatic about baseball (especially the Brooklyn Dodgers). He was already an avid fan of Robinson when Jackie and his young family moved into the same neighborhood--two doors down from this young man. While some artistic liberties are taken, this story is based on actual events, and the book itself is written by Robinson's own daughter, Sharon. My third grade students and I were moved by the kindness Jackie showed to his young neighbor and neighbor kids, pausing to take time to play baseball with them and invite them to special seats in one of his Dodgers games. We were also lucky to learn more about Rachel, Jackie's wife, and the strong family love and and values they fostered as a family. The story also details the relationships gained between Jackie's family and Steve's family. To this day this young man's family and the Robinson family remain dear friends. 

This past December, I was inspired by a film that taught me further about Robinson's life:


I found out later that this film was only finally produced with the guidance and approval of Rachel Robinson. She wanted to make sure that this film educated individuals about what life was really like for her and "Jack," as she called her sweetheart. Rachel Robinson met personally with the actress that played her part (Nicole Beharie). She wanted to ensure that their story was told as truthfully as possible. 

I wept while I watched. I learned for the first time about the differences between civil rights and quality of life between Pasadena, CA and the Southern States during the 1940's. I learned of Branch Rickey, the baseball executive for the Brooklyn Dodgers, who signed Jackie and thereafter asked him to turn the other cheek when racial slurs and unfair treatment barraged him in his baseball career. I shivered with dread as I learned of the death threats mailed to Jackie, not only threatening him, but also his wife and baby boy. I learned of Jackie's previous service in the military during WWII. I learned of his love for his wife and his devotion to his son and family life. I smiled when I learned that Jackie's number, 42, has been retired from every single MLB team, honoring his excellence in baseball and excellence in defending human rights.


Why he has blessed my life: I'm grateful for Jackie Robinson because he has inspired me to be a loving influence in my own little family. I'm grateful for how he faced tremendous and dangerous opposition in order to chase his own dream and ignite movement for integration and equality. I want to be like him, brave in the face of scary circumstances defending what I know to be fair and right.


Sources:

  • History.com, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/jackie-robinson
  • Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson
  • Scholastic, https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/hero-two-doors-down-the-by-sharon-robinson/

Day #294

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