In commemoration of African-American History Month, which is in February every year, I have decided to post two blogs on the contributions of a historic figure -- Jackie Robinson.
On Feb. 17, I posted an article entitled “Three Important Events In African-American History” that detailed three important events that occurred in 1947 and 1948 as Robinson began his Major League Baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was the first African-American to play MLB.
One of the important events, teammate Pee Wee Reese reacting to the racist catcalls of the fans of Cincinnati by putting his arm around Robinson, is commemorated by a statue in Brooklyn that is pictured above (Robinson is on the right).
This blog is about how Robinson the athlete had a significant impact outside the sports world.
Honoring Jackie Robinson Part II
Jackie Robinson’s performance on the baseball field and his character in coping with racists without losing his temper "electrified" African-Americans and motivated them to fight to be treated as people who deserved the same rights as other Americans in their communities, classrooms, and workplaces, according to an article on History.com by Jules Tygiel.
"The courage and grace with which Robinson handled the abuses inspired a generation of African Americans to question the doctrine of "separate but equal" and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement," wrote Tygiel. "In their response to Jackie Robinson, African-Americans rejected "separate but equal" status and embraced integration. Robinson's presence in baseball electrified them, and they flocked to see the Dodgers in huge numbers and from great distances."
Millions of white people appreciated Robinson too. In 1947, he was the second most popular American after Bing Crosby, according to a poll. Arnold Rampersad wrote that he "revolutionized the image of black Americans in the eyes of many whites," and Major League Baseball’s integration was a factor in the South’s integration.
Several writers go further than Rampersad. In the opening paragraph of his article entitled "Jackie Robinson: Brooklyn Dodgers Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer," Richard Goldstein of The New York Times compares Robinson’s debut on April 15, 1947, to the 1955 Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott that was triggered by Rosa Parks refusing to move from the section of the bus reserved for whites to the back of the bus and Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech as signature events in the struggle for racial equality.
"Robinson's triumphs in the face of bigotry evoked a sense of pride among black people and forced the rest of America to consider anew the doctrine of white supremacy," wrote Goldstein.
In his article "What does the Civil Rights Movement owe baseball,?" Chris Murray wrote that Robinson’s breaking of baseball’s color barrier "put the issue of equal rights for all Americans at the forefront of the nation’s consciousness."
"It was Robinson’s non-violent reaction to the hatred, boos, racist taunts and threatening letters that predated the sit-ins, freedom rides and bus boycotts that Dr. King led nearly 10 years after baseball’s color line was broken," wrote Murray. "The visceral reaction to Robinson’s entry into baseball made the nation come face-to-face with racial injustice in what is supposed to be a country where all men are created equal."
Robinson himself became a civil rights activist after his baseball career ended in 1956. In 1957, he spoke to the Little Rock Nine before they enrolled at a previously all-white high school in Little Rock, Ark., Robinson’s daughter Sharon told CBSsports.com.
On Oct. 15, 1972, Robinson made a televised speech urging Major League Baseball teams to hire the league’s first African-American manager. He died nine days later of a heart attack at age 53.
African-American History Month has been recognized by the U.S. government since 1976 when President Gerald Ford said then that Americans should "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."
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