Jackie Robinson's Activism In Political Theatre

Robinson’s activism in political theatre became most prevalent in the lead-up to the presidential nomination of Barry Goldwater, a Republican senator from Arizona. Goldwater adhered to a strict state’s rights position and despite being a Republican, voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Martin Luther King Jr. equivocated Goldwater succinctly in an address to fellow voters, stating, “While not a racist himself, Mr. Goldwater articulates a philosophy which gives aid and comfort to racists”, a prevailing thought that Goldwater shrewdly used his political prowess to manipulate anxious white voters who felt shunned by a changing Democratic party. Barry Goldwater was the anti-thesis of Jackie Robinson, as Robinson was able to effectively switch his political stances based off the issue of civil rights and Goldwater was effectively able to switch his stance based on stopping civil rights. Goldwater’s general brashness and thin-skinned demeanor provided a stark contrast to Robinson’s decade long insistence on respectful dialogue and understanding opposing

To Robinson, Goldwater was everything the GOP could not become, with Goldwater even admitting he postured for political gain in his memoir, The Conscience of a Conservative where he eulogized this new wave of Republicanism asserting, “voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964… appealed to racist Dixiecrats, sundered the century-long relationship of blacks to the Party of