Research Paper On Roberto Clemente

The legacy of Major League Baseball will never be forgotten. There are several legendary baseball players from around the world who were remarkably talented. Roberto Clemente was one of these incredible players, but he was also a key figure in his time period, as he brought an important issue to light. In the mid 1900s, discrimination and segregation towards people of color in the United States was prevalent to a high degree. For example, Jim Crow Laws were established to legalize segregation between whites and people of color. In an effort to make a change, from 1954-1968, the Civil Rights Movement occurred in the United States. This was a political campaign in which activists protested and spoke their voice for justice and the end of inequality.

through words, regulations, and actions by others. During this time people of color were commonly associated with negative connotations and generalizations and subject to prejudices from whites in society. One instance of this was when Clemente was often labeled as a hypochondriac by the media (Edleman 529). This conveys the careless mindset of the racists, as they never thought about the feelings of those who were hurt. There were also requirements for segregation in the MLB, as Clemente was forced to be separated from his white teammates. He had to wait on the bus when his team ate at a restaurant, he had to stay in hotels only meant for black people, and was written about with negative stereotypes in newspapers, but never saw this racism in his homeland, Puerto Rico (Deroche). This shows how contrasting the MLB experience was for a white person compared to a person of color, with the whites at an obvious advantage. The consistent discrimination and segregation he faced, along with one other specific incident prepared Clemente to make a

He was passionate about caring for the youth but also teaching them the sport he loved, baseball. In all the cities where the Pirates played, Clemente went to hospitals to visit sick kids and held training clinics, giving baseball lessons and activities for children in Pittsburgh, Puerto Rico, and Latin America (Deroche). Clemente wanted to better the lives of children in Puerto Rico and beyond through baseball, as it had for him. This inspired the youth to spread their passions to others, whether that be a sport or hobby, or a different matter, such as ending