Teaching With Documents:
Beyond the Playing Field -
Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate
PHOTOGRAPHJACKIE ROBINSON AND SON (DAVID)
BEING INTERVIEWED AT THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
AUGUST 28, 1963
Robinson, proud of being black, challenged racial pretensions
throughout his life. As a child he fought with rocks against taunting neighbors;
as an adolescent he went to jail for a traffic altercation involving a white
motorist; and as a college star in four sports, he took no guff from race-baiting
competitors. As an Army lieutenant, he so resisted efforts to make him move to
the back of a southern bus that he eventually faced court-martial proceedings
(where he was found innocent); and as a ball player, he railed against teams
and individuals he believed to be racist. This vigilance against racial wrongdoing
was a legacy he wanted to pass on to his children--to be willing to stand up
for what they believed and to lawfully press for their rights as full-fledged
Americans who happened to be black. |
National Archives and Records Administration |
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