Jackie Robinson had an incredible career as a baseball player. That is very clear. The story began, of course, on April 15, 1947, when Robinson became the first African-American to break the racial barrier and play in the Major Leagues, where his talent made him one of the best players in history.
Robinson was a stellar defender with impressive speed and a bat that helped the Brooklyn Dodgers win six National League pennants and one World Series during their 10 years in the Big Top. His impact was immediately felt, as evidenced by Robinson winning the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1947 and the circuit’s Most Valuable Player award just two years later.
But the totality of what he did to seek and bring about change, however, was never limited to the walls of a stadium.
From 1957, Jackie was Vice President of Personnel for the “Chock full o’Nuts” coffee company. If an employee had a complaint, he was the man to talk to. That same year, Robinson became seriously involved in the Civil Rights Movement, seeking equal treatment for all African Americans. And he also spent a lot of time collecting money for various associations dedicated to the advancement of African Americans, such as the NAACP and the SCLC.
For Robinson’s daughter, Sharon – who was just seven years old when her father retired from baseball after the 1956 season, this is the most significant impact.
“It lasted 14 years,” Sharon told MLB.com. “Those are the most vivid memories in my mind. I was too young to appreciate his career as a baseball player, but I understood that baseball had given him a platform and that it also allowed him to fulfill his desire to play professional sports. He loved the game. But when he retired, he was working in New York on a regular schedule, which meant he got home in time for dinner.
“At the table, the focus was the civil rights movement. So when he retired from baseball, he was excited to participate in the Civil Rights Movement in a different way. Within his contract with Chock full o’Nuts it was written that he could spend as much time as necessary in matters of the movement ”.
In her first year with the movement, Jackie traveled across the country and helped raise $ 1 million for the NAACP. By the early 1960s, Robinson raised money for the SCLC, hosting jazz concerts in his backyard. The funds were used to provide bail money for the jailed activists.
The first concert was on June 23, 1963, at the Robinsons’ home in Connecticut. And what a tremendous lineup Jackie had that day. According to Sharon, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Taylor and Dave Brubeck showed up. The show cost $ 10 to watch, and Robinson raised $ 14,000 that day. Jackie made a special donation of $ 1,000 because Sharon, her younger brother David, and other family members sold sodas and hot dogs. Martin Luther King Jr. was present and addressed those present to talk about the importance of sacrifice.
Jackie and her family members also participated in different marches. He was on the front lines during the famous “March on Washington” on August 28, 1963, which culminated in King’s unforgettable “I Have a Dream” speech.
It is on this same date, this year, that Major League Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day, which is normally held every April 15. It will take place during what has been a summer of protests and movements focused on trying to resolve issues such as racial inequality, police brutality and systematic racism.
Robinson also wrote columns in the New York Post in support of the movement, criticizing Malcom X at times. Robinson, whose playing career was defined by his ability to not respond to threats and taunts, and by letting the power of his talent on the field and his dignity prove that he did belong in the major league world, He felt that the fight for equality had to be carried out peacefully – with purpose and determination, but not with violence.
“My dad was the one who lived traveling south and sharing all those stories every time he came back,” Sharon recalled. “The people of the movement called him. We would listen to those conversations, or he would tell us later at dinner ”.
Robinson’s impact was felt in local communities, too, where he was a major driver of economic development. Robinson helped create the “Freedom National Bank,” whose headquarters during the mid-1960s were in Harlem.
“He was always an entrepreneur,” Sharon said of her father. During his playing days, he was the co-owner of a clothing store in Harlem. Back then, players had jobs during the offseason. It wasn’t like all they did was go to the gym to stay in shape. They went to work ”.
In 1972, the season that marked the 25th anniversary of his arrival in the majors, Robinson attended Game 2 of the World Series between the Reds and the Athletics. Before taking the ceremonial first pitch, he was on the field with his family and addressed the 53,224 fans at Riverfront Stadium to tell them how much he would like to see a black manager in the major leagues. Robinson did not live to see his wish fulfilled. Nine days later, he died of a heart attack. Then the Indians would name Frank Robinson as their leader for the 1975 campaign.
Had she lived, how would Jackie have reacted to that historic day in Cleveland?
“I would have been proud of that. But that wouldn’t have stopped him from saying, ‘Well that’s great. Now we have one. But we have to move now to the owner level, ‘”Sharon said. “That’s the kind of person he was.” (GG) (TAKEN MLB.COM)