Jackie Robinson #42
With it being Black History month I thought I would take some time to talk about my favorite baseball player of all time. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Georgia, and was the first African American baseball player to integrate the MLB. Today, he is recognized by all baseball fans as being a hero and every baseball team has retired his number “42" to honor him. In addition to this every year on April 15 MLB celebrates “Jackie Robinson Day.” Every player wears the number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day to show how highly respected he is and how much he did for baseball and the African American community.
Jackie was a baseball player for the Kansas City Monarchs. The Monarchs were part of the Negro League, and were the longest running team in the leagues from 1920 to 1965. Jackie only spent 5 months with the Monarchs in 1945. If you want to read more information on Jackie’s time with the Monarchs you can find it here and here. In the year 1946 Jackie was playing in the Minor league with the Montreal Royals, it wasn’t till 1947 that Jackie started playing in the Major league with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie faced racism for simply playing in an all white league. Today, we don’t think twice about seeing diversity in teams, yet this was the reality of the time and Jackie had the courage to be one of the first people to challenge that reality even if it meant he would face hate.
The video below is a mini biography on Jackie’s life.
I can’t imagine what it took for Jackie to do what he did. The hate and racism he faced just to be able to play with white baseball players. Jackie was an amazing human for putting up with the hate and the mistreatment. I will always applaud him, and even though I never got the chance to see him play I love watching his videos online. There is some solace in knowing he is so respected and recognized today, but it is so devastating to know that such hate existed.
I have also come to love the newest movie on his life called “42.” If you have not seen it I highly recommend it. It is moving and entertaining, and it is so much more than a baseball movie! Also the actor, Chadwick Boseman, who plays Jackie, is now playing the Black Panther in the Marvel movies. That is one major reason why I loved the movie Black Panther! The actor is genuine and plays his characters very well; I have become a big fan of him.
I will also leave a link to a list of more African American athletes that achieved great things in a time when there wasn’t as much acceptance for them. Black History Month is a time to look back and not only remember those people who broke through the barriers but also to remember why those barriers were there. Today there is no question about the amount of racism that has surfaced again, and there is no better time than today to stand up for everyone.
