Who had one of the most influential impacts on the civil rights movement? Most argue Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, or Cesar Chavez. While they had a very significant impact, that doesn't include Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was a professional baseball player who broke the color barrier. He went through a lot in order to achieve this. Not only that, but Jackie Robinson was very vocal about the injustices going on. Besides being a professional baseball player, Jackie was also a very proficient basketball player. So Jackie Robinson had a significant impact comparable to that of Martin Luther King Jr. by breaking the color barrier by playing baseball professionally, having a gifted upbringing, and speaking out against discrimination after he retired. …show more content…
He had a batting average of 0.375 and stole twenty-two bases, all in forty-seven games (Sportstrader). The Brooklyn Dodgers signed him in 1946, making him the first black person to play baseball professionally. Later in 1947, he was the first black person to place in Major League Baseball, winning Rookie of the Year. Jackie Robinson continued to play up until 1956; he decided to retire after being traded to the Giants and would rather retire than play for them (History.com). Achieving this alone is arduous, but he did this while being colored, which furthered the Civil Rights Movement.
Jackie accomplished all this, but how did he get there? Born in Georgia in 1919 and growing up in California, Jackie Robinson was shaping up to be a gifted person. He excelled in many sports while in college. While it isn’t clear whether or not he studied business, that seems to be the consensus. He dropped out of college during his third year, though, as he decided to help his mom when she was experiencing financial problems (History.com). Shortly after, he was drafted for World War II and was honorably discharged in