Remembering the Activism of Jackie Robinson

By Thomas Holmes

We all know the story of Jackie Robinson. Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey signed Robinson in 1946 breaking the color barrier in baseball. The California native found himself in Montreal sharing the field with white players for the first time.

Then, on April 15, 1947, Jackie took to the field as the first Black player since Moses Fleetwood Walker in the 1880s. Robinson opened countless opportunities for other players in baseball. Robinson entering the MLB caused a monumental and controversial transformation in baseball. That led to social changes outside of the game. After his baseball career ended in 1956, he joined the social activism movement. Most people are aware of Robinson’s impact on the field, let us remember his impact on civil rights.

Unknown to many, Robinson’s civil rights movement began before baseball. In 1944, while serving in the Army, Robinson was court-martialed for getting into a verbal confrontation was a white officer. Robinson refused to heed the driver’s segregationist order that he sit in the back of the bus. Although Jim Crow Laws ruled Texas, the Army forbade segregation on its military bases. On his acquittal, Robinson told the American Heritage magazine, “It was a small victory, for I had learned that I was in two wars, one against foreign enemy, the other against prejudice at home.”

A year later, Rickey asked Robinson to bottle up his passion and be brave enough not to fight back. Jackie agreed and complied.

In 1962, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a public letter to Jackie congratulating him on his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. King’s letter lauded Robinson’s contributions to civil rights. King and Robinson met in 1949 and corresponded regularly. The two Civil Rights leaders shared the same goal of equality, but the men did not agree on every topic.

Jackie Robinson, Mary Dee, Dolly Banks, and Martin Luther King Jr., 1962Photo byWikimedia

One method the Robinson family used to raise money was to host concerts. Their first concert occurred on June 23, 1963. The Robinsons’ six-acre home in Connecticut was a picturesque location. According to Sharon, Jackie’s daughter, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie performed. It cost $10 to see the show and a total of $14,000 was collected. King attended the event and spoke to the crowd.

The entire Robinson family participated in the famous March on Washington on August 28, 1963. Over 250,000 activists attended and heard King’s legendary “I Have a Dream” speech. A bronze marker has been placed on the step where King gave his speech. It is a symbol of the culmination of efforts to propel action.

On June 16, 1964, Robinson visited St. Augustine, Florida, upon the request of Martin Luther King Jr’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Robinson gave a speech to the 600 in attendance at St Paul’s A.M.E. Church. His speech focused on a month-long direct-action campaign targeting the city’s segregationist policies at local businesses, beaches, and swimming pools. In addition, Jackie addressed critics in the white press who discouraged other Black superstars from joining the movement. St Augustine has a history of being an ally to the Black community. It was a haven for escaped slaves under French and British rule. Indians welcomed runaway slaves into their tribes. The great orator Fredrick Douglass spoke in the streets for all to hear.

In addition, in 1964, Jackie helped establish the Freedom National Bank in Harlem and served as a chairperson. The bank was designed to combat white financial institutions that discriminate against African Americans by denying loans or setting outrageously high interest rates. Robinson’s activism did not stop there. In 1970, Robinson founded the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to help build homes for low-income families.

Robinson used numerous ways to highlight his causes. He was an avid writer. He wrote President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon expressing his concerns on social injustices such as police brutality. Robinson was a Republican and supported Vice President Nixon over President Eisenhower. In addition, Robinson had a newspaper column titled “Jackie Robinson Says.” He spent a lot of time raising money for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the SCLC.

He highlighted his efforts to bring awareness to social injustices at every opportunity. In 1969, Robinson refused to appear in an old-timer’s event at Yankee Stadium in protest of the lack of minority coaches, managers, and front-office personnel in baseball. In his final public appearance, October 15, 1972, Jackie threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Game 2 of the World Series. He followed up with a speech and said, “I’m going to be tremendously more pleased and more proud [sic] when I look at that third base coaching line one day and see a black face managing in baseball.”

Sadly, Robinson died a week after this speech. Jackie’s words meant something and were not ignored. In 1975, the Cleveland Indians’ front office named Frank Robinson as manager. He became the first African American manager in the MLB. Frank Robinson would manage four teams in 16 years and be named Manager of the Year in 1989. Jackie’s efforts paved ways for others, like Frank’s.

Every April 15th, MLB honors Jackie Robinson for actions on and off the baseball diamond. Jackie Robinson Day has been celebrated each April 15 since 1997. It is the one day of the year that every player wears the number 42 on the back of their jersey. It is the only number retired league-wide. It is a special day designed to bring awareness to the past, present and future of society.

Thomas Holmes is an active member of the Tampa Chapter of SABR. He writes articles about baseball history and mixes in baseball analytics.