Jackie Robinson and the American Dilemma
Introduction
In the year 1919, several factors supported racism in the United States. First, the white majority citizens instigated attacks on the minority blacks for the simplest of reasons. For instance, the white supremacists attacked African-Americans who accessed facilities that the white citizens consider as theirs exclusively. For example, when Jackie Robinson and his family moved to a white Pasadena neighborhood, the neighbors hatched plans to get rid of them. As a young man, Robinson had to defend himself against the white kids who attacked him regularly when his family refused to move out of the neighborhood. Besides, the white supremacists wanted to enforce the continued subjugation of African-Americans after the World War. Secondly, the failure by the police to take action against the white supremacists who were attacking the African-Americans encouraged more white people to participate in the lynching of minority races. Notably, some of the law enforcers participated in the attacks against the African-Americans instead of quelling them. Thirdly, several literature books in America praised white nationalism and painted the Africans as animals.
Chapter 1
The family of Jackie Robinson focused on changing the destiny of their children in an otherwise hostile community. The area on which the family settled had predominantly well off families. However, Robinson’s family was poor. The parents worked hard to support the children and gave them adequate education. Jackie’s race affected him negatively. For instance, the community authorities did not allow him and his minority friends to access recreation facilities. The situation affected Jackie’s love for sports, and he was unable to participate in various games. Nevertheless, he graduated from Washington Junior High School and enrolled in John Muir High School in 1935, where he accessed sporting recreation facilities such as football fields and track.
Chapter 2
In 1937, Jackie Robinson did not receive a college sponsorship despite athletic prowess. He joined Pasadena Junior College, where his athletic capabilities continued to shine. In 1938, California named him Most Valuable Junior Player, and major universities began noticing him. Nevertheless, Jackie chose UCLA since he wanted to stay near his family. Notably, his big brother and biggest fan passed away in 1939 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident. Therefore, Jackie felt compelled to work harder in school to support his family. Nevertheless, Robinson drops out of the university. He felt that even after getting a university education, his future was still grim due to the persistent racism in the labor market. The athlete decided to take a temporary job at a local athletics camp in Atascadero, California. Besides, he had a small stint playing for an integrated team in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jackie would later return home in 1941 two days before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
Chapter 3
In 1942, Jackie Robinson joined the US Army. After spending time in Fort Riley, Jackie moved to Fort Hood, Texas, where he faced more discrimination than earlier. Nevertheless, his violent engagements with white children during his childhood had created a fighting and stubborn spirit in him. In one encounter, white officers ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus, an order which he refused. However, Jackie had full knowledge that the army had outlawed discrimination in its vehicles. The army, nonetheless, arrested him and charged him with insubordination. Eventually, the court-martial dropped the case citing lack of evidence. The experience demonstrated his inner strength and determination that all races are equal. Besides, the experience demonstrated his passion and his motivation to keep fighting for equal rights for both civilians and military personnel.
Chapter 4
Since the adoption of the Jim Crow laws in the mid-nineteenth century, the authorities did not allow the white people to play in the same leagues with the black people. The black compensated their exclusion from the major leagues by forming the Negro Leagues. The black communities established the Negro Leagues in the early twentieth century, and they were aiming at accommodating the many talented black players. Nevertheless, the teams within the Negro Leagues also faced the same racial challenges. For instance, the hotel industry denied the teams access to hotels and restaurants due to their skin color. In other instances, many service stations prohibited the teams from accessing the washrooms. Jackie Robinson and his teammates had to make deals with the service station’s owners that they would only buy gas if they attendants allowed them to use the restrooms. Nevertheless, the schedule for the team was hectic, and they had to travel hundreds of miles to play other teams in the Negro Leagues.
Chapter 5
Branch Rickey was determined to lead a revolution and break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Nevertheless, Branch Rickey knew that Jackie Robinson would face verbal insults during the game from the players and the fans. Rickey argued that when Jackie joined the Dodgers, he would become a victim of death threats, hate mail, and unfair calls by umpires. However, Rickey knew that Robinson had unique capabilities that would enable him to ward off the racial abuse. For instance, Jackie Robinson had played alongside white athletes in college. Therefore, he knew how racists white players could be. Besides, he was immensely talented and well educated. Moreover, Jackie was in a long-term relationship with Rachel, and Branch Rickey knew her support would motivate Jackie to work harder. Lastly, Jackie Robinson did not consume alcoholic drinks like many other players who had wasted their careers due to addiction.
Chapter 6
Robinson’s first year at Dodgers was not as impressive as he had hoped. Notably, he underwent a slump due to racial prejudice. Indeed, the athlete had to contend with opponents using extremely aggressive tackles on him. Nevertheless, Robinson overcame the slump and led his team to win the National League. Besides, he led his team to the World Series though they lost to the Yankees. His performance on the pitch united his teammates, who began defending him when the opponents subjected him to racial insults. Besides, his success enabled him to talk about racism and clap back at opponents who insulted him. Another success during his stint at Dodgers was that he received the highest salary and decided to move his family to Flatbush. His move to Flatbush opened the doors for other families to move into predominantly white neighborhoods, thus increasing the integration between the African-Americans and the white people.
Chapter 9
The civil rights movements intensified in the 1950s. After decades of the civil rights movement, the US Supreme Court overturned the Plessy VS Ferguson case of 1896, which allowed the segregation of facilities for blacks and whites. Despite courts mandating that the facilities be separate though equal, the white population enjoyed better infrastructure. In the landmark ruling, the US Supreme court mandated the authorities to integrate all public facilities, including schools. In the following, the black population held movements and demonstrations to protest against the arrest of a black woman for breaking segregation laws. The African-American communities boycotted buses for more than tenth months to protest against racial profiling in public buses. The year also witnessed another huge outcry from the African-American population after the murder of Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old died in the hands of a brutal lynch mob that attacked him after talking to a white woman.
Chapter 10
In the early 1960s, Jackie Robinson decided to support Richard Nixon as a presidential candidate. Throughout his life, Jackie felt that the African-American community deserved equal rights as their white counterparts. Therefore, Jackie Robinson felt that Richard Nixon had better civil rights reforms than any other candidate. During the 1960s, the support for republican presidents by the black community was not unusual. Besides, he felt that the civil rights commitments of John F. Kennedy, the Democratic nominee, were insincere, and he wanted the black votes to win the election rather than improving their rights. Though Robinson’s wife tried to talk him out of supporting Richard Nixon, Jackie remained put. However, his support for Nixon affected his reputation within the community negatively. The black community regarded him as a sell-out. Later in 1960, Richard Nixon gathered a third of the black votes, and John F. Kennedy became the president.
The elections in 1968 were intense. Nevertheless, Rockefeller and Jackie Robinson had enjoyed relatively good terms. When Rockefeller announced that he was running for the presidency, Jackie Robinson hosted him at his Connecticut home in the presence of many reporters. Nevertheless, Robert Kennedy became the new champion for black rights as the primaries progressed. The black society sidelined the athlete for a while as serious allegations emerged against Jackie Robinson during the primaries. For instance, political opponents claimed that Robinson had received money to campaign for specific political players. Others stated that Robinson had opposed efforts to unionize the employees of Chock Full o’Nuts when he was an executive. Nevertheless, the move by Robinson to host the Rockefeller campaign team in his family exposed various family problems. For instance, one of his daughters was in a short-term relationship with an abusive relationship. The revelations reduced his influence in the black community.
Importance of the Book
The book is crucial to the current social, political reforms. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. Nevertheless, the black community has not managed to break all the barriers currently. Some of the barriers that still exist include police brutality and lack of jobs. Many African-Americans still live below the poverty line. Besides, the champions for black rights claim that the judicial system negatively impacts the black community, and the correctional facilities have disproportionately higher black populations. The book provides hope to the millions of African-Americans who continue to face racial prejudice that their efforts will ultimately pay off. The book is a reminder that the black population has achieved great milestones, and the current tribulations should not deter them. Jackie Robinson also unified the Dodgers team among all the team players regardless of race.