Jackie Robinson, the name may sound familiar. He was the first Black athlete in professional baseball, and had stunning skills. Many were encouraged by him to give a shot at the things that they were good at, even if people were against them. However, he used his influence for other things, too. Jackie Robinson used his influence and support, as well as hard-work and dedication along with his outstanding courage to help change the standard of Black equality and rights in the United States. As a result of his work both in and out of sports, Jackie Robinson was the most important athlete in US history.
Jackie Robinson showed interest in sports early on, especially baseball, and was determined to begin integrating into the professional leagues.
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The documentary also includes information about how in the summer of 1963, the Robinsons hosted a jazz concert at their home for over 500 people, and donated the money to pay the bail of civil rights protesters in jail. Also, Robinson had organized a rally in Harlem during 1963 after the church bombing in Birmingham, and Malcom X was the featured speaker there. Finally, Robinson participated in a 30,000+ person protest in New York, against the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 1964, Barry Goldwater. Robinson said, “I am Black before I am a member of any party.” It was important contributions like these where Jackie Robinson used his voice, influence, and thoughts that helped create a world with racial equality. This makes it clear that Jackie was a very important athlete, because he was taking matters into his own hands and using his influence to make change, and devoting himself above everything else to the struggle for Black equality, and for fair treatment of Black people. Even after his sports career, he would courageously continue to do so for the remainder of his