Barry Stealing Home: The Story Of Jackie Robinson's Life

In 1919, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia. His family being sharecroppers, Jackie's mother, Mallie, raised Jackie and his four other siblings.(JackieRobinson.com) Being the only black family on the block, his family faced discrimination and racism from neighbors all around. From a humble beginning, Jackie was an outstanding athlete.(larrylester42.com) Jackie was promoted from Washington Junior High. Later, he entered John Muir High School after his junior high career. Recognizing his athletic ability, Robinson's older brothers inspired Jackie to pursue sports.(Jackierobinson.com)

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born January 31, 1919. He was born in Cairo, Georgia and was the youngest of five children. He had a grandfather that was a slave, Jackie’s dad was a sharecropper and Mallie, Jackie’s mother, was a maid. His dad ran away from the family when Jackie was only an infant.

Racism was a big problem during the 18 and 19’s century. White people always thought that they were at the higher level in the society and they treated black harshly. They could trade them in the markets. They also thought the deserved to have better life, better education, better house, etc. Why this happened? The government was the chief culprit. The government educated white people that they were above the blacks. Because of that, they taught their children in the same idea. Luckily, the growing number of people realized that it was unfair and they tried to make the government treated everyone equally. More than that, the government laid down the law of protecting all of the colored people; however, even the laws passed, the racism still happens today. Black people were classified as robbers, murders, or thieves and a lot of people judge them with this category.

Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives” (“Jackie”). Jackie Robinson was a major star athlete from the very beginning, always excelling in whatever he did, and his biggest achievement was breaking the color barrier of major league baseball. Robinson is an American Revolutionary Figure because he changed many things for African Americans while also inspiring others to further advance and make changes as well.

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”- Jackie Robinson (Baseball Almanac). Jackie Robinson’s life accomplished more than impacting others, he impacted a nation. His humble upbringing, strong will, and fight for equality is unmatched by any other. He was one of the first African Americans to stand up for equal rights and broke through many barriers to allow others to fight with him. His Hall of Fame career on the baseball diamond is only a small piece to Jackie’s story of struggle and hardship to reach equality.

Jackie once said: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” This quote shows that his life is not important unless it impacts other people and that Jackie cares about other people in life not just himself. Jackie changed the world positively by breaking the color barrier, being a baseball hero, a name for blacks, becoming the first black player Major League Baseball, and many more ways to come.

“Near six o’clock on the evening of January 31, 1919, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born somewhere near the town of Cairo in Grandy County in southern Georgia” (Rampersad 10). Jackie’s parents, Jerry and Mallie Robinson, first lived together on a small plantation just south of Cairo. Mallie Robinson raised her five children single handedly, and they later moved to Pasadena, California, which was not the most racially friendly environment due to the Robinsons being the only black family on the block. Not having a father in the home, he looked up to his older brothers and saw them as his future, they are the ones who introduced him into the sports

The legacy of Jackie Robinson goes beyond the April 15, 1947 afternoon at Ebbets Field, when the Brooklyn Dodger infielder became the first black in the 20th century to play baseball in the major leagues. He changed the sport, and he changed the attitude of a lot of people in this country, Jackie Robinson fought for all the people that were fortunate, a lot of them are, especially the minority guys, to be able to play in the major leagues and the impact on the people of color today.

“Jackie Robinson was born on the thirty first day of January in 1919”. (biography.com) He was born to a family of sharecroppers in the town of Cairo Georgia, but Jackie grew up in Pasadena California. (Jackie Robinson official website) Jackie grew up being raised by only his mother and his older siblings helped out as well. He had four siblings, three older brothers and one sister. (Britannica encyclopedia) Jackie was the youngest of five kids and they all helped out each other in school, sports, and chores. The Robinson family was the only African American family on their block, but the bias acts of the white people surrounding them didn’t hurt them, but prepared them for their future. (Jackie Robinson official website) Jackie’s older brother Matthew gave him his inspiration to take on sports just as he did. He has always had a huge love for sports in his childhood years. (Jackie Robinson book pg: 4)

In the biography Jackie Robinson and the American Dilemma by John R. M. Wilson, it tells the story of racial injustice done after world war II and explains how Jackie Robinson was pioneer of better race relations in the United States. The obstacles Jackie Robinson overcame were amazing, he had the responsibility to convert the institutions, customs, and attitudes that had defined race relations in the United States. Seldom has history ever placed so much of a strain on one person. I am addressing the importance of Jackie Robinson’s trials and triumphs to American racial dynamics in the post war period to show how Robinson was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and brought baseball fans together regardless of race.

Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, into a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children born to Mallie McGriff and Jerry Robinson. His middle name, Edgar, was in honor of former President Theodore Roosevelt who died 25 days before Robinson was born. After Jackie’s father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California. Robinson 's mother worked various jobs to support the family. Jackie grew up in poverty in an affluent community. Jackie and his friends were excluded from many recreational opportunities. As a result, Robinson joined a neighborhood gang. His friend Carl Anderson persuaded him to abandon the gang. In high school Jackie attended John Muir high school being an outstanding athlete. He was a multi-sport athlete playing football, baseball, track, tennis, and baseball. Jackie won numerous athletic awards in high school. Jackie Robinson attended

“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” This is a very true statement that Jackie Robinson said. The first man to challenge the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson’s upbringing led to him being one of the most well-known baseball players in history. Despite adversities, he fought for what was right.

Ida B Wells-Barnett once said, “The matter came up for judicial investigation, but as might have been expected, the white people concluded it was unnecessary to wait the result of the investigation—that it was preferable to hang the incriminated first and try him afterward.” Before the civil rights movement happened, this kind of unfairness towards blacks was very common. The time period during and after the civil rights movement will be remembered in American history for a very long time. During this time black people had a very hard time. The reconstruction movement was to provide equality for black lives in the United States. There were many different things that happened to get equality for black lives. Including many marches,

lives. Which is shown in this quote said by Jackie Robinson, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on others' lives.” He had a great impact on many peoples lives successfully completing his life goal.

They were treated without a hint of human decency and were segregated from the rest of