Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie was the youngest of five children; he was raised in poverty by his single mother. Jackie's older brother Matthew Robinson was the one who inspired Jackie to play sports and to use his athletic ability. He attended John Muir High School and then later attended Pasadena Junior College after junior college he attended the University of California at Los Angles. He was an excellent athlete, when he was in junior college he played four sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball. He was named the region's most valuable player in baseball in 1938. He was also the first person to get varsity letters at UCLA in four different sports. After his career in baseball he died on October 24, 1972 in Stanford Connecticut.

Jackie Robinson was a professional baseball player. But not only was he a great baseball player he was the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues. After getting out of the army Jackie started his professional baseball career. When his career started baseball was segregated. Therefore early in his career he played in the Negro leagues. He joined the Kansas City Monarchs and played very well. He played so well that Branch Rickey who is president of the Brooklyn Dodgers chose him to start the process of integrating major league baseball. Jackie started out on the dodgers farm team the Montreal Royals in 1946. Then he later got moved up to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, this making him the first ever African American to play major league baseball.

After his baseball career he continued to be a positive role model. He continued to influence social change, but not just with sports. He got into the business world and started integrating and coffee shop and he also helped establish the African American owned and operated freedom bank. He was also the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1972 the Dodgers retired Jackie's number of 42.

Jackie's voice for African American athletes played a big role in civil rights and other social movements of the time period. He was a huge role model for African American athletes all over the country and gave inspiration for athletes to integrate all sports not just baseball. He publicly called out the New York Yankees saying that they were a racist organization because they had not yet integrated, and this was five years after he started paying for the Dodgers ("Jackie Robinson").

Jackie Robinson is important and in my eyes a hero because he stood for what was right, giving everyone a chance at something they loved. Without Jackie there are many people that would not have even had the chance to reach for their dreams. Jackie Robinson said: "Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life." ("Jackie Robinson Quotes") I think this is what he lived by. He went through things you and I couldn't even imagine, just so others would be able to follow their dreams. That is why Jackie Robinson is my hero.