Jackie Robinson
Life after the Civil War did not solve all the problems that Black Americans were facing. Prejudice was still high and discrimination was very present in our country. There were even laws passed specifically designed to limit opportunities for Blacks and keep them separate from Whites.
Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era, was born during this dangerous time on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Shortly after Jackie was born, his father abandoned the family and his mother moved Jackie and his four older siblings to Pasadena, California, where she raised them on her own as a single mother.
Jackie and his family were poor, and as the only black family living on their block, faced prejudice and exclusion because of the color of their skin. Yet despite resistance, Jackie worked hard and became an exceptional athlete, playing on his high school’s varsity baseball, basketball, football, and track teams. If you play sports, whether on a team or on the field at recess, you know that being an athlete requires dedication, courage, discipline, selflessness, and physical and mental toughness. Jackie developed all of these qualities throughout his life.
