Serena Diaz

May 28, 2019

Period 7
Most influential person.

Jackie Robinson is a name from a man you won't forget. Born on January 31, 2019, was a
legend that would help take a stand against the injustice in America. Jackie wanted the same
abilities as every other American. Jackie Robinson granted courage to all colored people,
Robinson broke the color barrier between white and colored, and finally Jackie he was a
milestone that helped with racial equality.

Robinson is a child of 5 as a family of sharecroppers. Being the only black family in the
area the injustice started at a young age which helped Jackie later in his future. Jackie loved
playing sports and played sports in high school and college. He went to play professional
baseball but because of World War 1, he was drafted to the army. He was later deployed out of
the army out of honorary degree and was able to go back home and start up his passion again. He
was apart of a negro league then moved with the Dodgers. He wanted to play not to be separated
but to be equal (Jackie Robinson History A& E television network).

Jackie Robinson was a believer that anyone can do anything and by playing baseball he
encourages more colored to play a white dominate sport. Jackie believed he was chosen by God
to do these task(one hundred sleepless nights). People bashed at Jackie at first because he was a
colored man playing ball and did not start his first season until he was 28. The harsh cruelty
leads to crowds doubting him on his abilities even to play until 1946 he showed the crowds how
hard he works in baseball. He never wanted people to see him struggle but the o lot struggle was
dealing with the discrimination he faced playing ball(Jackie Robinson: Baseball and Racism).
His ability to shine and show the crowd what he is capable gave colors more ability to play ball.
He was so good that people were changing their opinions about colored not being good enough
to play in an all-white dominated sport like baseball. This event in American History helps him
win a lot of white people to help support civil rights. The ability to play and shine in baseball
was something small.

Throughout playing with the Dodgers began breaking the barrier of color and white. He
was chosen as a role model for someone that people look to if this worked out. They know it
would work out because if it didn’t then it would take segregation into much worse than it was
turning(Jackie Robinson a legacy of Activism). He was the first to ever have the courage to step
on the field since the 50 years of when segregation had been. He signed to break the barrier
which was broken by World War ll when blacks and whites became to fight net to each other.
Jackson exchanged his fist and his temper to help America not have a barrier. Robinson signing
this contract with the Dodgers was seen as an effort to gain equal rights that were starting to be
seen by the white people(Society for American Baseball). This barrier was being taken down
because Jackie Robinson proved that black players were good enough to play and that is why he
was chosen because Rickey knew this was something he was set out to do. Rickey knew that
Jackie had the courage and the ability to fight within himself and knew that Jackie can be a role
model. The threats that he faced were knocked down because by one month into the first season
the Dodgers welcomed him and blacks started to attend the games to watch Jackie but most
importantly after a while fans from Brooklyn started to support him. When things weren’t so
great between the teams the captain Pee Wee Reese would put his arm around Robinson and
showed everyone that he supported Robinson. His courage changed the way blacks and whites
were treating each other(Jackie Robinson- Constitutional RIghts foundation). He began to break
this down when people grieved over his death. His breakthrough with the barrier between black
and whites because Jackie started feeling comfortable to play against other teams and visit other
cities like Montreal(my interview with Jackie Robinson).

After Jackie's career, he became involved more in the civil rights movement. Playing
ball he was involved into civil rights. During an interview, he said that he faced racial comment
and believed the faith with his brother and sisters in the civil rights movement would help him
and god will help him(Jackie Robinson: Revisiting an interview with a baseball and civil rights
legend). Jackie was exhausted through the hard world that was not yet done so he continued to
fight for racial rights along with his fellow colored people. Because of his stand in baseball,
leaders of the civil rights movement say Jackie is someone who helped create a way for equality.
A leader that Jackie’s life was involved was with Martin Luther King Jr. King states that Jackie
paved a way to make fighting injustice more easy for him while he as playing baseball. They
both began to dedicate their lives to serve to gain equal rights for the colored people(MLK Jr.
and Jackie Robinson good friend and civil rights icons). Martin Luther King And Jackie
Robinson both even graduated together because their bond over fighting the injustice towards
colored was so powerful. Jackie was involved in King's life and so was Dr. King. Jackie wrote a
letter to the president trying proving that the people deserve the same rights as every other
American. He writes a letter justifying that the color people don’t need to be patient because they
have been patient for so long already. The Jackie is tired of the Negros not getting the chances
they deserve. Robinson is tired of the people telling the colored that they have to wait for what
could be theirs with a swipe of a pen by the President( A letter from Jackie Robinson to President
Eisenhower). Jackie never gave up on the idea that everyone is equal.

Some people may say that Jackie Robinson is not the most influential person in American
because he did not get the equal rights he had fought for so long to get. People would say his
efforts were so small. Some may say he only changed a little which would not make a difference
to many people when it did, in fact, make a difference to a lot of people.some saying play the
sport was a waste to break the barrier of racism. Some say his contract with baseball was a failed
effort because it was only an effort(​‘One Hundred Percent Wrong Club’ Speech).​ The white
people hated Jackie for playing a white man's sport and his temper would get in the way thus
proving why his efforts to stop the racial inequality weren’t efficient because nothing did fully
change.

The little things that Robinson had done, did in fact help in the end. If it was not for
Jackie Robinson colored people would still be segregated and not be able to play baseball with
the white people. The little things Jackie did were so important because even in today’s society
he is honored with the new technology advancements we have in place to people create websites
to live the legacy that he had shown when he was faced with so many downfalls(biography- the
Official licensing website). Jackie has been knowing as a person who fought for equality. He is
known as the first black person to play professional baseball and with that being an honor he is in
the hall of fame for not only showing pride and determination on the field but also showing that
he was a platting person chosen to break the barrier of racism in the United States(Hall of Fame).
Jackie was such a huge impact on everyone player and every team. Do to this bravery and his
importance on civil rights, Jackie’s Number 42 has been retired from every Major League
Baseball team in his honor for everything he has done. Jackie started seeing a trend that after he
had retired that more sports were moving faster than baseball so he urged and fought for colors
to play(Jackie’s final Interview). Furthermore that when he died people were devastated. He
made it through his first heart attack and recovered but were heartbroken when they found out he
died at his second heart attack(on this day). People lived what he did and his legacy lives on
even after segregation ended in 1948. He fought for his life and fought for equality amongst
white and colored people. He will be forever known as someone who helped change segregation
and helped with equal rights. He is honored in the hall of fame and in museums of all different
types with the period of civil rights(Jackie Robinson baseball hall of fame).
Through the civil rights movement, Jackie Robinson was a huge impact on the rights of
the people. Jackie did infect help colored gain courage to stand up for equality, Jackie did break
the barrier between colored people and white people in American Baseball in the Major leagues,
and Jackie did create a huge movement that was a tremendous milestone towards racial equality.
Jackie was an outstanding player that someone knew could help with racial injustice. He was a
man with courage with a voice of pride. Because of his strong effects to fight for racial justice
that was occurring in American, he will never be forgotten because when people wear 42 they
know who it really belongs too.