Jackie Robinson’s
Legacy 70 Years Later
Part I – Beginnings
It was 70 years ago, on April
15, 1947 that the Brooklyn Dodgers took the field with Jackie Robinson at
second base. This is one of the most significant moments in the history of
Major League Baseball in that it opened the door of opportunity for many ballplayers
who, to that point in history, had been denied the chance to compete at
baseball’s highest level.
But Robinson’s story started
before that spring afternoon at Ebbets Field, located in the New York borough
of Brooklyn. How did he get to that position where he was bestowed the honour
of being the man to break baseball’s colour barrier? What was special about
him, to be chosen among the many players who could have been selected?
We’ll start in the small town of
Cairo, Georgia, population 1908, where Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on
January 31, 1919, into a family of sharecroppers. His parents, Jerry and
Mallie, chose his middle name in honour of US President Theodore Roosevelt. Unfortunately,
Jerry Robinson abandoned his family (Jackie had four siblings) just over a year
after his son’s birth and the rest of the family moved to Pasadena, California.
As a youngster, Robinson grew up
in poverty, and was often excluded from many recreational opportunities due to
being Black. In high-school, (he attended John Muir High School) he played and
lettered in four varsity sports including football, basketball, track and field
and baseball.
After graduating high school, he
enrolled at Pasadena Junior College where he continued to participate in the
same four sports. During his time at PJC, he was arrested after vocally
disputing one of his friends being detained by police. He was given a two-year
suspended sentence, but this incident gave Jackie a reputation for standing
against racial antagonism.
After graduating PJC in 1939, he
enrolled at UCLA and again, played all four sports. In fact, he became the
first UCLA student to win varsity letters in four sports. After leaving UCLA
just months before he was due to graduate, he travelled to Hawaii where he
played semi-pro football. In December of 1941, he returned to California to
pursue a professional football career when America’s entry into World War II
stopped those plans.
Robinson was drafted into the
Army in early 1942 but never saw action in either Europe or the Pacific. In
1944, he boarded a military bus and was ordered by the driver to sit at the
back of the bus. Seeing the racial implications, Robinson refused and was taken
into custody by military police. He was charged with multiple offenses, including
public intoxication, even though Robinson never drank. While awaiting his court
martial, Robinson’s former unit (the 761st Tank Battalion) was
deployed overseas and became the first Black tank unit to see action in the
War.
He was acquitted of all charges
and then received an honourable discharge late in 1944. While he intended to
resume his football career, in early 1945 he was offered a contract by the
Kansas City Monarchs, one of the top teams in the Negro Leagues. Robinson
accepted the contract, valued at $400 per month.
