Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to ever play major league baseball. He was born Cairo, Georgia January 31, 1919 and died October 24, 1972. Jackie excelled early at all sports and learned to make his own way in life. At UCLA, Jackie became the first athlete to win varsity awards in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track. in 1941, he was named to the All-American football team. Because of the financial difficuties, he was forced to leave college, and eventually decide to enlist in the U.S. Army. After two years in the army, he had continued to become second lieutenant. Jackie's army career was cut short when he was with the incident of racial discrimination. In the end, Jackie left the army with an honorable discharge.

In 1945, Jackie played one season in the Negro Baseball league, traveling all over the Midwest with the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nation's preeminent sport, he courageously challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South.

Jackie Robinson's life and legacy will be remembered as one of the most important in American history. In 1997, the world celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Jackie's breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier. On the date of Robinson's historic debut, all Major League teams across the nation celebrated this milestone. Also that year, on United States Post Office honored Robinson by making him the subject of a commemorative postage stamp. On Tuesday, April 15 President Bill Clinton acknowledged to Jackie at Shea Stadium in New York in a special ceremony.

Students may learn that if Jackie Robinson never played Major League baseball, then black people would never have been able to play in any of the sports that white people play. We wouldn't be able to play any of the sports together as white and black people. One of my hopes for your generation is that there will be no conflicts between the two races.