The UCLA football star turned base ball superstar stood up for equal rights for all people, and despite the amazing contributions he made to America in his lifetime, I am sure Jackie Robinson would still be speaking, writing, and campaigning to change the plight of the many underprivileged members of our society who are still fighting the ongoing status quo. Racism never went away. We still hear and see it every day.
Even though Jackie “broke the color barrier” and became the first “person of color” to play in the white professional base ball league, he continued to be treated as less than human, unable to travel, sleep or eat with his team mates in public. Robinson even ended up living in Connecticut, because Westchester wouldn’t let him or Harry Belafonte buy a home there.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s our family drove through the southern states at Easter on our way to Carolina or Florida for our winter holiday. The overwhelming memory we all have of that time was the total segregation we saw at restaurants, gas stations, corner stores, and hotels. We were ashamed to be white. We were ashamed to be human beings. Black is just a color. Love thy neighbor. Jackie Robinson was a saint.
Also see – Charlie Sifford Story
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