JACKIE ROBINSON:

a great athlete, a civil rights advocate,

and a hero.
Jackie Robinson was a man of courage. His wife is a woman of courage too. I saw a lot of the PBS
documentary about Jackie Robinson's life from baseball to politics. Jackie Robinson experienced a
huge amount of disrespect, slurs, and hate from racists. Yet, he never gave up. He not only made
accomplishments in baseball. He supported civil rights, opposed injustice, and advocated for black
people to have ownership of teams in the major leagues. He personified class and character. His
wife has promoted tolerance and human justice for decades as well. He lived as a man on a mission
to advance racial justice and human dignity. We honor his memory and we always respect the
courage and the great strength of his wife (including their children). In our generation, we, as black
people, are still fighting for justice. Jackie Robinson played in the Negro League and he played in the
Brooklyn Dodgers back in 1947. He was the first African American to play in the Dodgers. Dodgers
President and general manager Branch Rickey supported the integration of baseball. During this
time, there was the explosive development of American industry; so many African Americans came
from the rural south to northern cities like New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
Cleveland, and Detroit during the first 70 years of the twentieth century. Black people also traveled
into the West Coast in cities like Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, etc. There
was the massive union movement that used strikes to fight for workers’ rights. During World War II,
despite a segregated military, nearly 900,000 black human beings served in the armed forces. Blacks
and whites returning from the war soon took part in the greatest strike waves in US history. The
years of 1945 and 1946 saw more than 4 million workers on strike. By that time, over 500,000 black
workers had become members of CIO unions. He fought discrimination and racism in the Army and
in real life long before the 1950’s. We're grown and reality shouldn't be sugarcoated. The labor
movement, the civil rights movement, etc. fought to integrate baseball.
 Early Life

To begin, Jackie Robinson was born in January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. His parents were Jerry
and Mallie Robinson. He was the youngest of five children. His siblings are Edgar, Frank, Matthew,
and Willa Mae. Jackie Robinson's extended family had a residential plot having two small houses at
121 Pepper Street in Pasadena, California. Jackie Robinson experienced discrimination including his
family. By 1920, Robinson’s family moved to Pasadena, California. In Pasadena, his mother worked
various jobs to support her family. Robinson experienced poverty and his minority friends were
excluded from many recreational opportunities. In 1919, 76 African Americans at least were
lynched in America. In 1920, the Negro Leagues were created. One of his friends was Carl
Anderson. During the 1920’s and the 1930’s, the Harlem Renaissance existed where African
American writers, artists, and musicians developed culture and great work which was centered in
Harlem, NYC. In 1935, Robinson graduated from Washington Junior High School. He enrolled in John
Muir High School (Muir Tech) in the same year. He was known for his great athletic abilities. Mack
was his brother and he was a silver medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Mack and Frank (they
are both his brothers) inspired Jackie Robinson to pursue sports. In Muir Tech, Jackie Robinson
played many sports at the varsity level like football, basketball, track, and baseball. On baseball, he
played shortstop and catcher. He was the quarterback on the football team. He was a guard on the
basketball team. On track and field, he won awards in the broad jump and he was a member of the
tennis team. In 1936, 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, which included future Hall of Famers Ted Williams, and Bob Lemon.

In late January 1937, the Pasadena newspaper reported that Robinson "for two years has been the
outstanding athlete at Muir, starring in football, basketball, track, baseball and tennis." Jackie
Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College or the PJC. He continued to play athletic sports like
basketball, football, baseball, and track. Most of his teammates were white just like in John Muir
High School. Robinson suffered a fractured ankle in the football field, which delayed his deployment
status while in the military. In 1938, he was elected to the All-Southland Junior College Team for
baseball and selected as the region's Most Valuable Player. Even from the earliest times of his life,
he questioned authority. On January 25, 1938, he was arrested after vocally disputing the detention
of a black friend by the police. He got a 2 year suspended sentence. Robinson stood up against
racism in public and in private. Frank Robinson (to whom Robinson felt closest among his three
brothers) was killed in a motorcycle accident. The event motivated Jackie to pursue his athletic
career at the nearby University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he could remain closer to
Frank's family. Robinson came to UCLA after he graduated from PJC in the spring of 1939. In UCLA,
he won varsity letters in baseball, basketball, football, and track.

He was one of the 4 black players in the 1939 UCLA Bruins football team. Others were Woody
Strode, Kenney Washington, and Ray Bartlett. UCLA was college football’s most integrated team
during that time. He won the 1940 NCAA Men’s Track and Field Championship in the long jump,
jumping 24 ft. 10 ¼ in. Back then, he didn’t do so well in baseball ironically enough in UCLA. While
a senior, at UCLA, Jackie Robinson met his future wife named Rachel Isum. She was born in 1922.
She knew about Robinson’s athletic career at PJC. Robinson left college in 1941 just in the spring
semester of 1941. He worked in as an assistant athletic director with the government’s NYA or
National Youth Administration in Atascadero, California. The government ended its NYA operation.
So, Robinson traveled to Honolulu in the fall 1941 to play football for the integrated Honolulu Bears
(or a semi-professional team). He returned to California in December of 1941 to pursue a career as
a running back for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Football League. During this time,
there was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States overtly was involved in World
War II. This ended his football career. Jackie Robinson was soon drafted and assigned to a
segregated Army cavalry unit in Fort Riley, Kansas in 1941. This would change his life forever.
 The Military

Jackie Robinson was in the military in 1942. First, he was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army
cavalry unit in Fort Riley, Kansas. Robinson and other black soldiers applied for admission to an
Officer Candidate School or an OCS. It was located at Fort Riley. The Army’s initial July 1941
guidelines for OCS had been drafted as race neutral. Yet, few black applicants were admitted into
OCS until after subsequent directives by Army leadership. Later, the applications of Robinson and
his colleagues were delayed for several months. After protests by heavyweight boxing champion
Joe Louis (who was then stationed at Fort Riley) and the help of Truman Gibson (then an assistant
civilian aide to the Secretary of War), the men were accepted into the OCS. This common military
experienced caused a personal friendship between Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis (both great men).
Jackie Robinson finished his OCS. Then, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in January of
1943. Shortly afterward, Jackie Robinson and Isum were formally engaged. He received his
commissioned and then reassigned to Fort Hood, Texas. In that location, he joined the 761st “Black
Panthers” tank Battalion. Inside of Fort Hood, Robinson often used his weekend leave to visit the
Rev. Karl Downs or the President of San Huston College (not Huston-Tillotson University in nearby
Austin, Texas). Downs had been Robinson’s pastor at Scott United Methodist Church while
Robinson attended PJC. There was one event on July 6, 1944 that derailed his military career.

Jackie Robinson was awaiting the results of hospital tests on the ankle that he had injured in junior
college. Robinson boarded an Army bus with a fellow officer's wife; although the Army had
commissioned its own unsegregated bus line, the bus driver ordered Robinson to move to the back
of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line,
summoned the military police, who took Robinson into custody. Robinson’s commander in the
761st, Paul L. Bates, refused to authorize legal action. So, Robinson was summarily transferred to
the 758th Battalion where the commander quickly consented to charge Robinson with multiple
offenses like public drunkenness, etc., even though Robinson didn’t drink. By the time of the court-
martial in August 1944, the charges against Robinson had been reduced to two counts of
insubordination during questioning. Robinson was acquitted by an all-white panel of nine
officers. The experiences Robinson was subjected to during the court proceedings would be
remembered when he later joined MLB and was subjected to racist attacks. His former unit or the
761st Tank Battalion was the first black tank unit to see combat during World War II. Robinson
never saw combat action, because of the court proceedings that prohibited him from being
deployed overseas. Jackie Robinson was acquitted. He was transferred to Camp Breckenridge, KY.
He served as a coach for army athletics until he received an honorable discharge in November 1944.

In that place, he met a former player for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League,
who encouraged Robinson to write the Monarchs and ask for a tryout. Robinson took the former
player’s advice and wrote to Monarch’s co-owner Thomas Baird. He was discharged from the
military. He played for his old football club of the Los Angeles Bulldogs. Robinson then accepted an
offer from his old friend and pastor Rev. Karl Downs to be the athletic director at Sam Huston
College in Austin, then of the Southwestern. The job included him coaching the school’s basketball
team for the 1944-1945 season. Few students tried for the basketball team as it was a fledgling
program. Robinson inserted himself in exhibition games. Robinson was a disciplinarian coach and he
was respected. His teams were outmatched by opponents. Langston University basketball player
Marques Haynes (a future member of the Harlem Globetrotters) respected him. Later, Jackie
Robinson would play for the great, historic Negro Leagues.
 Early Baseball Career

Jackie Robinson was first in the Negro leagues. The Kansas City Monarchs sent him a written offer
for him to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues. Jackie Robinson accepted. He received a
contract for $400 per month. He played well for the Monarchs. His schedule was hectic. He opposed
gambling. He traveled all across America and communicated with Rachel Isum (by that time his
fiancée) only by letter. Robinson played 47 games at shortstop for the Monarchs. He hit in a
percentage of .387 with five home runs and registering 13 stolen bases. He also appeared in the
1945 Negro League All Star Games, going hitless in five at bats. During the season, Jackie Robinson
pursued potential major league interests. The Boston Red Sox had a tryout at Fenway Park for
Robinson and other black players on April 16. The tryout was a fraud by the major league as a
means of them to assuage the desegregationist sensibilities of the powerful Boston City Councilman
Isadore Muchnick. In the stands limited to management, Robinson was called racial epithets. He left
the tryout in humiliation. More than 14 years later in July of 1959, the Red Sox became the last
major league team to integrate its roster. Other teams had a more serious interest in signing black
ballplayers. During the mid-1940’s, Branch Rickey (club president and general manager of the
Brooklyn Dodgers) started to court the Negro leagues for a possible addition to the Dodgers' roster.
Rickey selected Robinson from a list of promising black players and he interviewed him for possible
assignment to Brooklyn's International League farm club, the Royals. Rickey wanted to pick
someone who could stand the racial abuse. In a famous 3-hour exchange on August 28, 1945,
Rickey asked Jackie Robinson if he could take racial insults without responding back angrily.
Robinson was aghast: "Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?" Rickey replied that
he needed a black American player "with guts enough not to fight back." After obtaining a
commitment from Robinson to "turn the other cheek" to racial antagonism, Rickey agreed to sign
him to a contract for $600 a month, equal to $7,887 today.

Rickey didn’t offer compensation to the Monarchs. He believed that all Negro League players were
free agents due to the contracts not containing a reserve clause. Among those Rickey discussed
prospects with was Wendell Smith, writer for the black weekly Pittsburgh Courier, who according to
Cleveland Indians owner and team president Bill Veeck "influenced Rickey to take Jack Robinson, for
which he's never completely gotten credit." Although he required Robinson to keep the
arrangement a secret for the time being, Rickey committed to formally signing Robinson before
November 1, 1945. On October 23, it was publicly announced that Robinson would be assigned to
the Royals for the 1946 season. On the same day, with representatives of the Royals and Dodgers
present, Robinson formally signed his contract with the Royals. Jackie Robinson was the first black
baseball player in the International League since the 1880’s. He was not the best player in the
Negro league as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson were legends. They wanted to be selected
first. Larry Doby, who broke the color line in the American League the same year as Robinson, said,
"One of the things that was disappointing and disheartening to a lot of the black players at the time
was that Jack was not the best player. The best was Josh Gibson. I think that's one of the reasons
why Josh died so early – he was heartbroken." Jackie Robinson came into Pasadena, which was his
home. He toured South America briefly with another barnstorming team while his fiancée Rachel
Isum worked in nursing in New York City.

On February 10, 1946, Jackie Robinson and Rachel Isum were married by their
old friend, the Rev. Karl Downs.

First, Jackie Robinson played for the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League. He was
in Daytona Beach, Florida for training camp. This was the highest level of the minor leagues during
the 1946 season. Florida was racially charged back then and still is today. Robinson was not allowed
to stay with his teammates at the team hotel. He lodged at the home of a local black politician. In
Sanford, Florida, the police chief threatened to cancel games if Robinson and Wright did not cease
training activities there; as a result, Robinson was sent back to Daytona Beach. Robinson made his
 Royals debut at Daytona Beach's City Island Ballpark on March 17, 1946, in an exhibition game
against the team's parent club, the Dodgers. Robinson thus became the first black player to openly
play for a minor league team against a major league team since the de facto baseball color line had
been implemented in the 1880's. Robinson shifted from shortstop to second base after mediocre
performances. Later, his performance soon rebounded.

Negro Baseball League Legends

Toni Stone was a Leroy Robert Joshua Gibson was Lawrence Eugene Mamie “Peanut”
great woman “Satchel” Paige an excellent baseball Doby played in both Johnson was a
baseball player. She played in the Negro catcher. He was one the Negro Leagues legend in the Negro
was the first of three League and the MLB of the greatest power and the MLB. He was Leagues too. She
women to play in the being a great pitcher. hitters in history. He the second player to played with the
Negro League. She He was born in was the second break baseball’s color Indianapolis Clowns
was raised in St. Paul, Mobile, Alabama. A Negro league player barrier. He was born in 1953. Also, she had
Minnesota and statue of him was to be inducted into in Camden, South a batting average of
played for the San unveiled (by 2006) at the National Baseball Carolina. By 1946, he .262. She lived to be
Francisco Sea Lions in Cooper Park, Hall of Fame by 1972. won the Negro 82 living from 1935 to
the West Coast Coopertown, New He played for the League World Series 2017. She was a
Negro Baseball York to outline black Homestead Grays along with his legendary athlete.
League. contributions to too. teammate Monte
baseball. Irvin.
On April 18, 1946, Roosevelt Stadium hosted the Jersey City Giants' season opener against the
Montreal Royals, marking the professional debut of the Royals' Jackie Robinson and the first time
the color barrier had been broken in a game between two minor league clubs. Pitching against
Robinson was Warren Sandel who had played against him when they both lived in California. During
Robinson's first at bat, the Jersey City catcher, Dick Bouknight, demanded that Sandel throw at
Robinson, but Sandel refused. Although Sandel induced Robinson to ground out at his first at bat, in
his five trips to the plate, Robinson ended up with four hits, including his first hit, a three-run home
run, in the game's third inning. He scored four runs, drove in three, and stole 2 bases in the Royals’
14-1 victory. Robinson proceeded to lead the International League that season with a .349 batting
average and .985 fielding percentage, and he was named the league's Most Valuable Player.
Although he often faced hostility while on road trips (the Royals were forced to cancel a Southern
exhibition tour, for example), the Montreal fan base enthusiastically supported Robinson. Many
people attended his games. More than one million people went to games involving Robinson in
1946, an amazing figure by International League standards. In the fall of 1946, following the
baseball season, Robinson returned home to California and briefly played professional basketball
for the short-lived Los Angeles Red Devils.

The Dodgers

Six days before the start of the 1947 season, the Dodgers called Jackie Robinson up to the major
leagues. With Eddie Stanky entrenched at second base for the Dodgers, Jackie Robinson played his
initial major league season as a first baseman. On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his major league
debut at the advanced age of 28 at Ebbets Fields before 26,623 spectators, including more than
14,000 black patrons. Although he failed to get a base hit, he walked and scored a run in the
Dodgers' 5–3 victory. Jackie Robinson became the first player since 1880 to openly break the major
league baseball color line. Black fans began flocking to see the Dodgers when they came to town,
abandoning their Negro league teams. Many people loved him and hated him. Newspapers and
players had a mixed reaction to him. The Dodger clubhouse had racial tension. Some Dodger
players refused to play with him. The Dodgers management stood up for Robinson. Manager Leo
Durocher informed the team that, "I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like
a f____ zebra. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. What's more, I say he can make us
all rich. And if any of you cannot use the money, I will see that you are all traded.” Robinson was
also derided by opposing teams. Some, notably the St. Louis Cardinals, threatened to strike if
Robinson played. After the threat, National League President Ford Frick and Baseball Commissioner
Happy Chandler let it be known that any striking players would be suspended. Many players from
opponent teams used rough play against Jackie Robinson, especially the Cardinals. He received a
seven inch gash in his leg from Enos Slaughter.

On April 22, 1947, during a game between the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies players
and manager Ben Chapman called Robinson a "n____ " from their dugout and yelled that he should
"go back to the cotton fields.” Rickey later recalled that Chapman "did more than anybody to unite
the Dodgers. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united
thirty men." Many players sent Jackie Robinson encouragement. Jackie Robinson said that Lee
“Jeep” Handley, who played for the Phillies at the time, as the first opposing player to wish him
well. Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese once came to Robinson's defense with the famous line,
"You can hate a man for many reasons. Color is not one of them." Reese was a strong supporter and
good friend of the first 20th century black Major League Baseball player, Jackie Robinson. In 1948,
Reese put his arm around Robinson in response to fans who shouted racial slurs at Robinson before
a game in Cincinnati. A statue by sculptor William Behrends, unveiled at Key Span Park on
November 1, 2005, commemorates this event by representing Reese with his arm around Robinson.
Jewish baseball star Hank Greenberg, who had to deal with racial epithets during his career, also
encouraged Robinson. Following an incident where Greenberg collided with Robinson at first base,
he "whispered a few words into Robinson's ear", which Robinson later characterized as "words of
encouragement."

Greenberg told him that to defeat them in games is a way to defeat the critics. Robinson talked to
Larry Doby, who endured his own hardships as being the first black player in the American League
with the Cleveland Indians, as the two spoke to one another via telephone throughout the season.
Robinson finished the season having played in 151 games for the Dodgers, with a batting average of
.297, an on-base percentage of .383, and a .427 slugging percentage. He had 175 hits (scoring 125
runs) including 31 doubles, 5 triples, and 12 home runs, driving in 48 runs for the year. Robinson led
the league in sacrifice hits, with 28, and in stolen bases, with 29. His cumulative performance
earned him the inaugural Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award (separate National and
American League Rookie of the Year honors were not awarded until 1949).

In March of 1948, Jackie Robinson took over second base. Stanky was traded to the Boston Braves.
He had a .980 fielding percentage that year. He has a batting average of .296 and 22 stolen bases
for the season. In a 12–7 win against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 29, 1948, he hit for the
cycle—a home run, a triple, a double, and a single in the same game. The Dodgers briefly moved
into first place in the National League in late August 1948, but they ultimately finished third as the
Braves went on to win the league title and lose to the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. More
black players entered the major leagues.

Legendary Accomplishments and Retirement

Larry Doby (who broke the color barrier in the League on July 5, 1947, just 11 weeks after Robinson)
and Satchel Paige played for the Cleveland Indians, and the Dodgers had three other black players
besides Robinson. In February 1948, he signed a $12,500 contract (equal to $123,113 today) with
the Dodgers; while a significant amount, this was less than Robinson made in the off-season from a
vaudeville tour, where he answered pre-set baseball questions, and a speaking tour of the South.
He lost weight due to a right ankle injury. Hall of Famer George Sisler helped Jackie Robinson with
batting techniques. His bat average increased from .296 to .342 from 1948 to 1949. In addition to
his improved batting average, Robinson stole 37 bases that season, was second place in the league
for both doubles and triples, and registered 124 runs batted in with 122 runs scored. For the
performance Robinson earned the Most Valuable Player Award for the National League. Baseball
fans also voted Robinson as the starting second baseman for the 1949 All-Star Game—the first All-
Star Game to include black players. He lost the 1949 World Series to the Yankees. In the Summer of
1949, Jackie Robinson testified to the House over Communism. Paul Robeson, an activist and
athlete, made comments. The HAUC wanted Robinson to testify and he did. Robinson criticized Paul
Robeson’s pro-Communist and progressive views. Robinson regretted the remarks that he made
about Robeson as he later said that Robeson had the right to believe in what he wanted to. Paul
Robeson was a hero.

Near the end of his life, Jackie Robinson wrote in his autobiography about the
incident:

"...However, in those days I had much more faith in the ultimate justice of the
American white man than I have today. I would reject such an invitation if offered
now . . . . I have grown wiser and closer to the painful truths about America’s
destructiveness. And I do have increased respect for Paul Robeson who, over the
span of twenty years, sacrificed himself, his career, and the wealth and comfort he
once enjoyed because, I believe, he was sincerely trying to help his people...."

The 1950 Jackie Robinson Story was a famous biography about his life which starred himself. Ruby
Dee played Rachel. In 1955, the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the 1955 World Series.
Jackie Robinson was 37 years old and at the end of his career. In 1956, he retired from baseball. He
started to show effects of diabetes. He announced his retirement decision through the Look
magazine. He brought an end to about 60 years of segregation in professional baseball. He inspired
black athletes decades into the future and athletes in general. That is why the great baseball player
Ken Griffey Jr. wanted players to wear 42 on their jerseys and commemorate the courage and the
sacrifice of Jackie Robinson. In his first year of eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962,
Robinson encouraged voters to consider only his on-field qualifications, rather than his cultural
impact on the game. He was elected on the first ballot, becoming the first black player inducted into
the Cooperstown museum.
 Jackie Robinson’s
Many Accomplishments

• 6x All Star (1949-1954)

• World Series champion (1955)
• NL MVP (1949)
• NL Batting champion (1949)
• Batting average in the MLB (.311)
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction 1962
Vote 77.5% (first ballot)

More Facts on the Legacy of Jackie Robinson

Here, Jackie Robinson This is the Memorial in the Jackie
was a sports announcer Robinson Rotunda inside Citi Field
in 1965. (in Queens, NYC). It was dedicated
on April 15, 2009.
In this picture, Rachel Robinson is
holding the award that posthumous
celebrates her husband in the
Congressional Gold Medal. President
George W. Bush is there on March 2,
2005. Also, present is Nancy Pelosi.
 Jackie Robinson and Malcolm X

A lot of people didn’t know that Malcolm X and Jackie Robinson had a strong debate over civil rights
and black liberation. Healthy debate in the black community and in any place in general can be
strong and necessary to grow human consciousness. I knew that Malcolm X and Jackie Robinson
didn’t agree with each other on many issues, but I didn’t know that their disagreements were that
deep until now. Both men opposed each other’s views in op-eds and in public speeches. When you
look at both of their views, you see that given time, both of them would have agreed more with
each other. In essence, Jackie Robinson underestimated Malcolm X’s commitment to revolutionary
change in the black community. Likewise, Malcolm X didn’t have a chance to see Jackie Robinson’s
progressive political evolution as time went on. Malcolm X and Jackie Robinson were both victims of
racism and discrimination. Each wanted the same goal, which is freedom, justice, and equality for
all black people. Yet, they adamantly disagreed on the methods on achieving the same goal.
Ironically enough, Malcolm X viewed Jackie Robinson as a hero until 1963. This was when Malcolm
X was in the Nation of Islam. He preached Black Nationalism from the 1950’s onward. Even when
Malcolm X was in the NOI, he did spoke the truth about the viciousness of racism in America, the
economic exploitation of the black community by corporate power, and the beauty of Blackness.
Malcolm X was right on these issues. Malcolm X was also right to condemn police brutality and the
political establishment in uncompromising, strong terms.

Malcolm X criticized white supremacists by name and he was right. When he was in the Nation of
Islam, Malcolm X condemned white “devils” as harming the black community. From 1963 to 1964,
Jackie Robinson was one of Malcolm X’s strongest critics. Malcolm X, before he left the NOI, wanted
black separatism in desiring the establishment of a black state in North America. Jackie Robinson
conversely believed in integration where black people and white people can live together in peace
in a society filled with equality and justice. Jackie Robinson supported nonviolence and allied with
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while Malcolm X believed in self-defense, not in unjust violence. There is
nothing wrong with nonviolence and self-defense either. He wrote the following words about
Malcolm X (this was when he was in the NOI): “…Malcolm X and his organization believe in
separation. They have every right to. If they want to go off into some all-black community, why
don’t they just go.” (The Chicago Defender on July 13, 1963)
Back then during 1952-1964, Malcolm X believed that white society was totally irredeemable;
therefore black people have the right to promote separatism when American society treated black
people as twentieth century slaves. In essence, Malcolm X wanted to promote political and
economic independence among the black community. Malcolm X criticized sellouts who felt that
they didn’t have the best interests of the black community at heart. On April 6, 1963, Robinson
published a column in the New Journal and Guide — a weekly African-American news journal that,
like outlets such as The Chicago Defender, was a megaphone of the civil rights movement criticized
revered Congressman Adam Clayton Powell for suggesting that black people boycott the NAACP
and support Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam. Of the minister, Robinson expressed his respect,
but hammered home the notion that black Muslims were not the true solution to the black man’s
problem. John H. Young III responded to Jackie Robinson in the following terms:

“Your failure to check the source or the truth, led you to publicize an untruth. You wrote of Adam’s
‘rallying call to the Negro people to support Malcolm X and Black Muslims. Adam’s only reference
along this line was substantially the following: ‘I don’t agree with many of the things said and done
by Malcolm X, but I do agree with him that the man must control his own destiny.’ ”– John H. Young
III, co-worker of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, New Journal and Guide ( April 13, 1963 )

Malcolm X responded a month later in strong terms of Jackie Robinson. He said that Dr. King’s
actions were dictated by white liberals who helped to fund his nonviolent movement. Jackie
Robinson traveled to Birmingham to support Dr. King after the bombing of the Baptist church,
which killed 4 little girls. He was a leader in civil rights and a successful businessman, becoming the
vice president of Chock full o’Nuts coffee, a corporation with many black employees. Jackie
Robinson continued to criticize Malcolm X in the July 1963 column in the Chicago Defender. He
wanted Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam to accept responsibility for an egging incident on Dr.
King in Harlem. Malcolm X accused of Jackie Robinson of selling out. Later, words among both men
would get more personal.

Civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in his driveway by the coward Byron De La
Beckwith on June 12, 1963 in Jackson, Mississippi. Malcolm X didn’t attend Evers’ funeral. Robinson
made another column in November 16th column in The Chicago Defender. “Dr. Bunche attended
the funeral of Medgar Evers in Jackson, Miss. and denounced the cold-blooded murder,” Robinson
wrote. “Malcolm is very militant on Harlem street corners where militancy is not dangerous.” Of
course, I don’t agree with those comments. Robinson responded to Malcolm X’s comments about
Bunche as a person who “represents, speaks for and defends the white man. He does none of this
for the black man.” 3 Days later, you know Malcolm X would respond to Jackie Robinson. The
Philadelphia Tribune reported Malcolm X responded in a fiery speech at a Philadelphia Muslim
bazaar. He denounced the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, called Robinson an “ex-
baseball player” and said King was a “handkerchief-headed Uncle Tom.” Malcolm X gave his
strongest criticisms of Jackie Robinson in his note to Robinson. It was also a December 7th column.
Malcolm X wrote that Jackie Robinson’s advocacy for Nixon and Nelson Rockefeller are contrary to
promoting the interests of the masses of the black community. He said that Robinson stays away
from the black community. Malcolm X wrote in that same column that: “…If my integrity or sincerity
is to be measured in your eyesight by attendance at funerals of Negroes who have been murdered
by whites, if you should ever meet with such misfortune I promise to attend your funeral. Then,
perhaps you will be able to see me in a different light. If you should ever become as militant on
behalf of your oppressed people as Medgar Evers was, the same whites whom you now take to be
your friends will be the first to put the bullet or the dagger in your back, just as they put it in the
back of Medgar Evers.”

Jackie Robinson accused Malcolm X as being a racist in the December 1963 column. He mentioned
Elijah Muhammad. Tensions cooled slightly in 1964. Malcolm X and Robinson represented 2 strong
viewpoints in the black community in America during the 1960’s. Months after the victory of
Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam. Muhammad Ali (who later courageously
opposed the Vietnam War) was powerful, uncompromising, and an example of black independent
cultural expression. Malcolm X was already suspended for months after his remarks about President
John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Malcolm X believed that the NOI didn’t go far enough in using
political engagement to stand up for the human rights of black people. After he left the Nation of
Islam, Malcolm X had an ideological transformation where he became more progressive. He
supported women leadership in the OAAU (or the Organization of Afro-American Unity). He
believed in opposing capitalism. He supported the internationalization of the struggle for justice. He
supported anti-colonial movements in the Third World. He didn’t believe in a separate black state in
America and he didn’t want any form of segregation by 1965.

Malcolm X, in his February 14, 1965 speech, gave the following words at the Ford Auditorium in
Detroit, Michigan:

"...And one of our first programs is to take our problem out of the civil rights context and
place it at the international level, of human rights, so that the entire world can have a voice in
our struggle. If we keep it at civil rights, then the only place we can turn for allies is within the
domestic confines of America. But when you make it a human rights struggle, it becomes
international, and then you can open the door for all types of advice and support from our
brothers in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and elsewhere. So it's very, very important -- that's our
international aim, that's our external aim.

Our internal aim is to become immediately involved in a mass voter registration drive. But we
don't believe in voter registration without voter education. We believe that our people should be
educated into the science of politics, so that they will know what a vote is for, and what a vote is
supposed to produce, and also how to utilize this united voting power so that you can control the
politics of your own community, and the politicians that represent that community. We're for
that.

And in that line we will work with all others, even civil rights groups, who are dedicated to
increase the number of Black registered voters in the South. The only area in which we differ
with them is this: we don't believe that young students should be sent into Mississippi, Alabama,
and these other places without some kind of protection. So we will join in with them in their
voter registration [Applause] and help to train brothers in the arts that are necessary in this day
and age to enable one to continue his existence upon this earth.

I say again that I'm not a racist, I don't believe in any form of segregation or anything like that.
I'm for the brotherhood of everybody, but I don't believe in forcing brotherhood upon people
who don't want it. Long as we practice brotherhood among ourselves, and then others who want
to practice brotherhood with us, we practice it with them also, we're for that. But I don't think
that we should run around trying to love somebody who doesn't love us.

Thank you..."

Brother Malcolm X saw Muslims of all colors in Mecca worshiping Allah. Malcolm X denounced
racism in all of its forms. Malcolm X also wanted America to be held accountable for its injustices
against black Americans via the United Nations. Jackie Robinson knew of Malcolm X’s
transformation. "In my view, if Malcolm were sincere and honest in his new visions," Robinson
wrote in The Chicago Defender on July 18, 1964, "he would reflect on how harshly and unjustly he
has belittled and sought to discredit our national responsible leaders who have been working in the
struggle for so long."

Malcolm X after Mecca focused more pan-African unity and he criticized Elijah Muhammad in public
on many issues. Malcolm X was illegally monitored by the FBI, the CIA, and the NYPD (via the BOSSI
program). Also, Malcolm X was constantly threatened. Malcolm X was courageous and he was
assassinated on February 1965. Jackie Robinson was playing golf during that time. Jackie Robinson
wrote the following words in March of 1965 about Malcolm X’s assassination:

“…The person or persons who murdered Malcolm have stilled his articulate voice…But, in making
him a martyr, they have only deepened whatever influence he may have had. In addition, they have
generated a senseless brutal … war which sees black hands raised against brothers at a time when
we most need unity among black people…”

In his autobiography, Jackie Robinson mentioned the assassination as a “tragedy of the first order.”
Jackie Robinson found out that Malcolm X was more than just preaching in Harlem street corners.
Malcolm X was risking his life day by day for the liberation of black people. Malcolm X confronted
injustice and stood up like a man to condemn the international Western power structure. If Jackie
Robinson and Malcolm X had more time to speak to each other, they could have totally reconciled
or at least found common ground (as Malcolm X said that he was willing to work with any civil rights
leaders and organizations dedicated to results after he left the Nation). Jackie Robinson saw how
the heinous racism in American society couldn’t end with Richard Nixon and Malcolm X’s
transformation after Mecca led him into be even more revolutionary than his time in the Nation of
Islam. Jackie Robinson by the late 1960’s felt that the NAACP was getting too moderate in not
cultivating enough young leaders to militantly express their views. Jackie Robinson felt obligated to
speak out on many issues. Robinson accused Richard Nixon (when he was President) of polarizing
the country.

Both Jackie Robinson and Malcolm X were freedom fighters.

Social Activism

Jackie Robinson made history in many different ways and his courage was phenomenal. Oppression,
injustice, and bigotry couldn’t stop him from achieving his goals and dreams. He loved athletics, but
he also loved his family greatly. From confronting the racism of white racists to confronting the
extremism of the Goldwater campaign, he was politically aware and his social activism is well
known. He lived during the times of extreme anti-Communism (during the Cold War), of Jim Crow
(where many laws not only violated the human rights of black Americans, but many corporate
institutions permitted such discriminatory policies), of the Vietnam War, of the civil rights
movement, of the counterculture, and the other changes going on in the culture of American
society in general.

There was also massive unionization during the 1930's where workers of many races fought against
the anti-worker policies of many businesses. During 1945 and 1956, more than 4 million Americans
were on strike for their rights. During that time period, more than 500,000 black people were in CIO
unions. Many great people fought against discrimination and injustice as well. In the midst of all of
these occurrences, Jackie Robinson had an inner core which existed from his parents and from his
friends around him. Movies, documentaries, and other modes of media cover his life
comprehensively (like the movie 42 and the excellent Ken Burns documentary called Jackie
Robinson. When I first saw that documentary, I was amazed at the detail of it and how great in
scope it is). Likewise, we ought to appreciate the sacrifice, the determination, and the heroism of
his life. When some people were afraid to speak out against injustice, he was in the front lines to
oppose legalized apartheid decades ago. He had allies and adversaries among many quarters. Yet,
he grew his consciousness to see how protecting the rights of all is important along with building in
our black community. He loved his wife. His wife is still here promoting the same causes that he
advanced when he was alive. Also, the struggle continues. We know that must continue to fight for
racial, social, environmental, and gender justice. Social justice doesn’t just involve demonstrations,
strategies, and organization. It also involves an active program to achieve economic and social
justice. Therefore, we learn the lessons of the past, so we can develop a better future.

Jackie Robinson was very active in civil rights activism. He was once a columnist for the Pittsburgh
Courier. Wendell Smith, the Pittsburgh Courier sportswriter and columnist who, along with Sam
Lacy of the Baltimore Afro-American and Joe Bostic of the (New York) People’s Voice, had been
lobbying hard for desegregated baseball in the mid-1940s. The Courier, the Afro-American, and the
Chicago Defender were some of the most powerful newspapers in the African American community
during the 20th century. They carried news around the world. The black press, the black church,
and the black community in general gave Jackie Robinson help and encouragement to continue in
his baseball career. In 1960, he was at the Democratic National Convention. His friends told him
that John Kennedy was serious about civil rights. When Kennedy wanted to hold the Dixiecrat
coalition together and sat segregationist Governor of Arkansas Orval Farbus on stage, Robinson
walked out in legitimate disgust.

Jackie Robinson was a political independent. He supported Nixon for President in 1960. Later, Jackie
Robinson praised John F. Kennedy for his stance on civil rights. He supported the Civil Rights Act. By
1964, he supported Nelson Rockefeller (or the New York Governor) as President as a Rockefeller
Republican delegate. He saw the ascension of Barry Goldwater, which he opposed because Barry
Goldwater opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When Jackie Robinson was in the Republican
National Convention in 1964, he saw racism and bigotry massively. Barry Goldwater made a play to
appeal to southern whites. Goldwater caused the modern conservative movement. His extreme
words would be echoed by Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump. The 1964 Convention
was disgraceful. 1300 delegates were there and 15 were black. Of those 15, one had his credential
revoked and another black person there had cigarettes put out on him by Goldwater supporters.
One angry Alabama delegate wanted to fight Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was a man and he
was ready to defend himself like a man. The delegate’s wife held the racist back and it didn’t occur.
It was after this scene that Robinson later said he now had “a better understanding of how it must
have felt to be a Jew in Hitler’s Germany.” 94% of African Americans voted for Lyndon Baines
Johnson (who signed the Civil Rights Act) for President in 1964, which is a record for any
Presidential candidate.
In Chapter 23 of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s autobiography (edited by by Clayborne Carson)
entitled, the Mississippi Challenge, Dr. King wrote the following words about Barry Goldwater:

"...The new events to which I refer were: the Republican Convention held in San Francisco; the
hideous triple lynchings in Mississippi; and the outbreak of riots in several Northern cities.

The Republican Party geared its appeal and program to racism, reaction, and extremism. All people
of goodwill viewed with alarm and concern the frenzied wedding at the Cow Palace of the KKK with
the radical right. The "best man" at this ceremony was a senator whose voting record, philosophy,
and program were anathema to all the hard-won achievements of the past decade.

It was both unfortunate and disastrous that the Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater as its
candidate for President of the United States. In foreign policy Mr. Goldwater advocated a narrow
nationalism, a crippling isolationism, and a trigger-happy attitude that could plunge the whole
world into the dark abyss of annihilation. On social and economic issues, Mr. Goldwater
represented an unrealistic conservatism that was totally out of touch with the realities of the
twentieth century. The issue of poverty compelled the attention of all citizens of our country.
Senator Goldwater had neither the concern nor the comprehension necessary to grapple with this
problem of poverty in the fashion that the historical moment dictated. On the urgent issue of civil
rights, Senator Goldwater represented a philosophy that was morally indefensible and socially
suicidal. While not himself a racist, Mr. Goldwater articulated a philosophy which gave aid and
comfort to the racist. His candidacy and philosophy would serve as an umbrella under which
extremists of all stripes would stand. In the light of these facts and because of my love for America,
I had no alternative but to urge every Negro and white person of goodwill to vote against Mr.
Goldwater and to withdraw support from any Republican candidate that did not publicly
disassociate himself from Senator Goldwater and his philosophy.

While I had followed a policy of not endorsing political candidates, I felt that the prospect of
Senator Goldwater being President of the United States so threatened the health, morality, and
survival of our nation, that I could not in good conscience fail to take a stand against what he
represented...The problems of poverty, urban life, unemployment, education, housing, medical
care, and flexible foreign policy were dependent on positive and forthright action from the federal
government. But so long as men like Senators Eastland, Russell, Byrd, and Ellender held the
positions of power in our Congress, the entire progress of our nation was in as grave a danger as the
election of Senator Goldwater might have produced. The battle was far from won. It had only
begun..."

Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were friends. In 1957, both men were given honorary
doctorates of law at the Howard University’s commencement ceremony in June. Robinson would be
with his wife and child in the Washington 1963 speech where Dr. King gave his famous “I Have a
Dream” speech. They both fought injustice. Dr. King encouraged Robinson’s involvement in the
movement. Dr. King said of Jackie Robinson in these terms: "... a pilgrim that walked in the
lonesome byways toward the high road of Freedom. He was a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom
rider before freedom rides." Robinson also chaired the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People's (NAACP) million-dollar Freedom Fund Drive in 1957, and served on the
organization's board until 1967. In September 1962, Robinson delivered an address to the Southern
Christian Leadership Council at its annual Freedom Dinner in Birmingham, Ala. Robinson praised
King in his remarks saying: "People used to tell me a lot of things about Dr. King, that he was trying
to take over the world, that he was making money on the civil rights issues. I didn't believe them, of
course. I knew this was a dedicated man and that he has made tremendous personal financial
sacrifices in the cause. I sort of wondered why people would stoop to talk about him. Then I realized
that the world has always talked against great men. The best way to keep from getting talked about
is to do nothing."

When King and other civil rights activists were jailed for their protests, the Robinson family hosted a
jazz concert at their home in Stamford, Conn., to raise bail money. When King's march in Selma
became the tragic event now known as "Bloody Sunday," Robinson sent a telegram to President
Lyndon B. Johnson urging him to intervene to stop the violence. In April of 1968, King spoke to
another Dodgers great -- former pitcher Don Newcombe -- saying: "You'll never know how easy you
and Jackie and Doby and Campy made it for me to do my job by what you did on the baseball field."
In 1964, Jackie Robinson would help found with Harlem businessman Dunbar McLaurin the
Freedom National Bank. This was a black owned and operated commercial bank based in Harlem.
He served as the first Chairman of the Board. He later became special assistant for community
affairs when Rockefeller was re-elected governor of New York in 1966. Jackie Robinson soon
switched his allegiance to the Democrats as he supported Hubert Humphrey against Nixon in
1968. The reason was that Nixon used a courtship with Strom Thurmond, which Jackie Robinson
disagreed with. Hubert Humphrey almost won the 1968 election. By the mid to late 1960’s, the
black freedom struggle’s young people increasingly became militant. The Black Power movement
reached new heights by 1966. There was the rise of the Black Panther Party and SNCC would
embrace Black Nationalism by the late 1960’s too. Jackie Robinson was from an older generation, so
Jackie Robinson had disagreements with much of the rhetoric of the black nationalists. Yet, he
always believed in freedom, justice, and equality for black people. He would support the Vietnam
War. Of course, I don’t agree with the Vietnam War because of many reasons. In 1970, Robinson
formed the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to build housing for low income families.

Later Years

Jackie Robinson’s strength was that in his life, he stood up against injustice and he appealed to our
better selves. He promoted compassion and eloquently spoke about improving society. In his later
years, Jackie Robinson wanted the major leagues to promote more minority managers and central
office personnel. That is why Robinson turned down an invitation to appear in an old timers’ game
at Yankee Stadium in 1969 to protest the lack of black voices in managerial positions of major
league baseball. He made his final public appearance on October 15, 1972, throwing the ceremonial
before Game 2 of the World Series. He gratefully accepted a plaque honoring the twenty-fifth
anniversary of his MLB debut, but also commented, "I'm going to be tremendously more pleased
and more proud when I look at that third base coaching line one day and see a black face managing
in baseball." His wish unfortunately was fulfilled after is passing. The 1974 season was when the
Cleveland Indians gave their managerial post to Frank Robinson (no relation), a Hall of Fame-bound
player who would go on to manage three other teams.

His wife Rachel Robinson would work in nursing and she became an assistant professor at the Yale
School of Nursing. She was a director of nursing at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. She also
served on the board of the Freedom National Bank until it closed in 1990. Jackie Robinson’s health
declined during the 1970’s. He had complications from heart disease and diabetes, which caused
him to almost blindness by middle age.

Jackie Robinson, before he passed, wrote in his 1972 autobiography entitled, "I Never Had It Made"
the following words about American society:

"There I was, the black grandson of a slave, the son of a black sharecropper, part of a historic
occasion, a symbolic hero to my people. The air was sparkling. The sunlight was warm. The band
struck up the national anthem. The flag billowed in the wind. It should have been a glorious moment
for me as the stirring words of the national anthem poured from the stands. Perhaps, it was, but then
again, perhaps, the anthem could be called the theme song for a drama called The Noble Experiment.
Today, as I look back on that opening game of my first world series, I must tell you that it was Mr.
Rickey’s drama and that I was only a principal actor. As I write this twenty years later, I cannot stand
and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world. In 1972,
in 1947, at my birth in 1919, I know that I never had it made."

Therefore, Jackie Robinson had militancy and knew how society is. On October 24, 1972, nine days
after his appearance at the World Series, Robinson died of a heart attack in his home at 95 Cascade
Road in North Stamford, Connecticut. His funeral service was held on October 27, 1972 at Upper
Manhattan’s Riverside Church adjacent to Grant’s Tomb in Morningside Heights. 2,500 mourners
came to the funeral. Many of his former teammates and other famous baseball players served as
pallbearers, and the Rev. Jackson gave the eulogy. Tens of thousands of people lined the
subsequent procession route to Robinson's interment site at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn,
New York, where he is buried next to his son Jackie and mother-in-law Zellee Isum. Twenty-five
years after Robinson's death, the Interboro Parkway was renamed the Jackie Robinson Parkway in
his memory. This parkway bisects the cemetery in close proximity to Robinson's gravesite. His wife
founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation to help people and society. Therefore, Jackie Robinson has
a strong legacy of courage, compassion, and of strength.

The football quarterback Colin Kaepernick has given 1 million dollars to organizations geared in
dealing with issues in America. He has refused to stand during the playing of the national anthem to
protest the police killings of African Americans and people of color in America. He is 28 and he has
shown courage in his actions. He was drafted in 2011. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a
flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in an
interview after the game. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to
look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away
with murder.” Kaepernick went on to add, “This is not something that I am going to run by anybody,
I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take
football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.” I salute his
actions. He also criticized both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. When asked if the pending
presidential election had anything to do with the timing of his actions, Kaepernick responded, “I
mean, you have Hillary [Clinton] who’s called black teens or black kids super-predators. You have
Donald Trump who’s openly racist. I mean, we have a presidential candidate who’s deleted emails
and done things illegally and is a presidential candidate. That doesn’t make sense to me, because if
that was any other person, you’d be in prison. So what is this country really standing for?” Many
players have supported him. The haters not only include white racists. They include others who fail
to understand his motives and the sincerity of his actions.

Some police officers killing people unjustly is a reality. Many people suffer racial oppression and
class oppression. I’m against blind patriotism and militarism. Many athletes for a long time have
spoken out against racism, militarism, war, and other injustices. Possibly the most well-known
political demonstration during the performance of a national anthem at a sporting event in recent
decades occurred during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, when two Black American athletes each
raised a black-gloved fist during the Star-Spangled Banner at a medals ceremony. John Carlos, the
bronze medalist in the men’s 200-metre race, and Tommie Smith, the gold medalist, performed the
Black Power salute while on the podium to shine a spotlight on racial inequality in the US. They
were booed and forced out of the games by the president of the International Olympic Committee
at the time, Avery Brundage, and suspended from the national team. The third man on the podium,
a white Australian named Peter Norman, was vilified by his home nation for wearing his Olympic
Project For Human Rights (OPHR) badge in solidarity. The OPHR was an organization formed to
protest racial segregation. Tommie Smith has supported Colin Kaepernick’s actions. Colin is a
courageous man. We must continue to fight the right wing agendas of militarism, jingoistic
nationalism, and state repression of political dissent.
Jackie Robinson's Historic Legacy
He inspired athletes decades after the 1940's. Many people have gained inspiration in their own
lives by the life work of Jackie Robinson as well. He taught people about determination and
patience. He was never afraid of standing up for himself since he stood up against white racists back
decades ago. He represents courage just like his wife and the rest of his family. We see black people
today making records and other great achievements in the 2016 Rio Olympics, which is another
aspect of black excellence. It is important to note that Ken Griffey Jr. helped to institute Jackie
Robinson Day every April 15 since 2004. Back in 1997, Ken Griffey Jr. got permission from Rachel
Robinson and the Jackie Robinson Foundation to wear No. 42 for a single game on April 15. So he
asked the Mariners equipment manager to flip his normal jersey from 24 to 42. It happened in April
of 1997, which was 50 years after Jackie Robinson first
played in the Major League baseball team of the Dodgers.
So it was that 10 years after his initial 42 tribute, now with
the Reds, Junior made an important phone call.
Commissioner Bud Selig had by then retired Robinson's
number throughout baseball, but Griffey wanted to wear it
once again in 2007, on the 60th anniversary of Robinson's
arrival in the Majors. Selig agreed with Griffey and
permitted Griffey to wear the jersey. In 2007, many other
players joined Griffey's tribute. More than 150 players These gracious, great human beings
wore No. 42 that year. By 2009, all MLB players wore the are Meta Robinson, Sonya Pankey,
number 42 on their jerseys as a policy of the MLB. Ken Susan Thomas, Jackie Robinson
Griffrey Jr. signed his autograph on a baseball sent to Foundation Founder Rachel
Sharon Robinson, who is the daughter of Jackie Robinson. Robinson, David Robinson and
To this very day, Ken Griffrey Jr. has been involved in Sharon Robinson.
activism, philanthropy, and other positive actions in the
community.

Black excellence existed during the past, it continues to exist in the present, and black excellence
will continue to flourish during the future as well. He would want all of us to fight prejudice, bigotry,
and injustice. His life made the world much better and we owe a lot to his courage and sacrifice as a
man, as a father, and a civil rights proponent. Now, the torch has been passed to us and we have
the responsibility to live out the ideals of justice and social liberation.

By Timothy

RIP Brother Jackie Robinson.