The Activism of Jackie Robinson
On April 15, , Jackie Robinson trotted out to first base for the Dodgers at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, erasing the unofficial color line that had stood in big league baseball for nearly 60 years. By the end of the season, his dazzling play had earned him baseball's inaugural Rookie of the Year Award, cementing the belief that Black people more than deserved a place alongside the best white players in the national pastime.
For many, the story of Robinson ends there. Or maybe when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in What often goes untold is his continued battle for equality after leaving baseball, a period that lasted nearly twice as long as his major league career.
After announcing his retirement from the sport in early , Robinson was named vice president for personnel at the Chock Full O' Nuts coffee company. He also joined the NAACP as chair of its million-dollar Freedom Fund Drive, eventually earning election to the organization's board of directors.
However, executive positions weren't enough for the former athlete, whose competitive juices had him itching to get back into the public arena. He joined Martin Luther King Jr. a
Allies in Justice: Robinson & King
01/08/By Sidney Carlson White
Throughout the s, Jackie Robinson and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. maintained a close friendship that was bound by their shared commitment to the Civil Rights Movement. Beginning in and ending with King’s assassination, the men collaborated as activists and organizers advancing the fight for political and economic equality for Black Americans.
Robinson’s closest collaboration with Dr. King began in , though the two had corresponded for many years prior. When Robinson was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King’s grassroots activist organization, held a testimonial dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City in Robinson&#;s honor. Dignitaries such as New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller were in attendance, and Robinson was presented with a plaque by Wyatt Tee Walker, Executive Director of the SCLC and close ally of Martin Luther King. The dinner raised substantial funds to support the SCLC’s voting rights efforts, and it was key to strengthening the organization’s ties with Robinson’s celebrity power and the political connections it offered.
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Allies in Justice: Robinson and King
Throughout the s, Jackie Robinson and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. maintained a close friendship that was bound by their shared commitment to the Civil Rights Movement. Beginning in and ending with King’s assassination, the men collaborated as activists and organizers advancing the fight for political and economic equality for Black Americans.
Robinson’s closest collaboration with Dr. King began in , though the two had corresponded for many years prior. When Robinson was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King’s grassroots activist organization, held a testimonial dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City in Robinson’s honor. Dignitaries such as New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller were in attendance, and Robinson was presented with a plaque by Wyatt Tee Walker, Executive Director of the SCLC and close ally of Martin Luther King. The dinner raised substantial funds to support the SCLC’s voting rights efforts, and it was key to strengthening the organization’s ties with Robinson’s celebrity power and the political connections it offe
Celebrate Black History Month with WonderGrove. Come back all month for new biographical videos and printables featuring Black American heroes!
Black History Month Episodes
Black History Month: Harriet Tubman
Black History Month: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Black History Month: Malcolm X
Black History Month: Jackie Robinson
Black History Month: Rosa Parks
Black History Month: Frederick Douglass
Black History Month Printables
Black History Month Biography Bookmarks
Harriet Tubman Coloring Page
Harriet Tubman Acrostic Poem
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coloring Page
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mini Book
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Crossword Puzzle
Malcolm X Close Reading Passage
Jackie Robinson Crossword Puzzle
Jackie Robinson Coloring Page
Jackie Robinson Mini Book
Frederick Douglass Coloring Page
Frederick Douglass Word Search
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