^Jackie Robinson
Jayden Cole P.S.279 K
Jackie Robinson is my hero because of his perseverance, determination, and courage. He
blazed the trail for integrated play in baseball. He was the first African American inducted
into the Hall of Fame. Robinson is one of the most influential people in baseball history.
He w i l l forever be known as baseball's civil right's legend. Even today, Jackie Robinson is a
part of us all.
He resided w i t h his mother, Malhe Robinson ,his brothers,Edgar,
Mack, and Frank. Also, his only sister,Willa Mae.
Mallie Robinson, Jackie's mother, decided to move to Pepper Street in Pasadena, California
to give her children a better life. Soon, Robinson realized his athletic ability, and went on
to do incredible things.
Between the years 1937 and 1945,Jackie did amazing things that no one thought
an African American can do. In 1937,Jackie attended Pasadena Junior College and then
transferred to UCLA in 1939.He was UCLA's best athlete that played four sports, being
great in basketball,football,baseball, and track and field. After college he became a
lieutenant in the army,but was later discharged for not following the segregation rules.
After leaving the army, he joined the negro league for baseball, playing for the Kansas
City Monarchs, but encountered Jim Crow Laws, which segregated whites and blacks. He
quit soon thereafter, but had no idea of how to make money. Not too long after, Robinson
met Branch Rickey for a meeting that changed his life.
Branch Rickey was the manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team in major
league baseball(which is usually for whites only).But, Branch Rickey wanted a negro/
African American to play on the Brooklyn Dodgers. He wanted someone who can be bold
enough to take on the taunts and threats that the baseball fans w o u l d be giving him. Jackie
Robinson was just the right guy.
During the meeting between Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey, Branch was talking a
lot while pacing back and forth and then Jackie finally got to sign the contract saying that
Jackie would play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The beginning of an era w o u l d begin.
Jackie was the number 42. Jackie Robinson made his major league debut on April 15,
1947. Rachel and five-month-old Jackie Jr., and fourteen thousand African Americans came
to the game. Some team members created a petition to stop Robinson from joining the
team, but failed when Dodger manager Leo Durocher learned about it. Other teams spit at
him and threatened him. Jackie felt like giving up, but he didn't because he knew that him
giving up would defeat the whole purpose of Branch Rickey choosing h i m .
Jackie Robinson overcame many obstacles in his life, which give him the
qualifications to be my hero. His wife, Rachel, had given them Jackie Jr. I t was very hard
for Jackie Robinson to support his family. All the discouraging letters did not make i t any
easier, but Jackie Robinson never gave up. Jackie Robinson also was a very talented and
persistent man. He helped the Dodgers to a World Series, and fans repaid him with taunts
and racism.
The most important reason I look up to Jackie Robinson as a hero is because
he opened the door to Major League Baseball for African Americans. This was a very
difficult task to accomplish, and Robinson was the right man for the job. Jackie Robinson
was honored for his beliefs and how he stood up for them. Jackie Robinson was also a hero
to many people. He was a spokesperson for his people, a national hero, and an important
historical figure. Robinson was always greeting new players on the team and making them
feel welcome, showing them great kindness. He always went out of his way to help rookies
play their best. He wouldn't stop at anything to end discrimination and segregation in
America.
Jackie Robinson is an important public figure. He was well k n o w n and very popular. I look
up to him for his courage and determination through the war against racism. After ten
years in MLB, Robinson retired. The NAACP named February 16, 1958 Jackie Robinson
Day, in his memory. Robinson helped lead the trail for the Civil Rights movement.
Robinson also helped Martin Luther King, Jr. raise money for his organization.
On January 23,1962, an event happened that left Jackie shocked and speechless. It was
announced that he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was the first African American
to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which is another reason he is my hero. Jackie
Robinson made the quest for equal rights possible. Unfortunately, not soon after, Jackie
Jr. died in a car crash in the spring of 1971, when he was only twenty-four years old. His
death was mourned by his father, but eventually, he moved on w i t h his hfe.
During the course of his life, Jackie Robinson had to face much racism, discrimination, and
segregation. Some hotels refused to take him and Rachel in. Some restaurants wouldn't
even let them sit in the dining room! City officials sometimes wouldn't let the Dodgers
play in the city because they had an African American on the team. As you can see, i t was a
rough time for African Americans.
Jackie Robinson also had a long list of leg problems. Toward the end of his life, he was
scheduled to get his leg amputated. On October 24,1972, fifty-three-year-old Jackie
Robinson died of a heart attack. That day was a sad day for America. From that day on,
Jackie Robinson would be known as baseball's civil rights legend.