multi genre project jackie robinson

Jackie RobinsonHero: On and Off the Field

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Jackie Robinson: Hero On and Off the Field

By Wendy Lyle

Multigenre Research ProjectREAD 680

Dr. Al-HazzaSummer 2013


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Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Timeline: Important Events in the life of Jackie Robinson (Informational) 6

Collage: Pictures of Jackie (Visual Display) 7

Poster: NAACP (Visual With Words) 8

Poem: A Hero Named Jackie (Creative Writing) 9

Obituary: Jackie – Humble Beginning, Remarkable Ending (Print Media) 10

Conclusion 11

References 13


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Introduction:

Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He is the

youngest of five children who were raised by his single mother. They relocated to Pasadena,

California where Robinson grew up and became an excellent athlete playing four sports.

Robinson played football, basketball, track and baseball. He attended John Muir High School

then Pasadena Junior College and was named the region’s Most Valuable player in baseball in

1938. Robinson was encouraged by many to pursue his love for athletics but his biggest

inspiration happened to be his brother, Mack Robinson, who won a silver medal in the 200-meter

dash- just behind Jesse Owens- at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

With his family’s blessing, Jackie continued to show his athletic abilities while attending

the University of California, Los Angeles, where he became the university’s first student to win

varsity letters in four sports. In 1941 however Robinson left college to support his mother due to

financial hardship. Jackson was quoted saying,

“After two years at UCLA, I decided to leave. I was convinced that no amount of

education would help a black man get a job. I felt I was living in an academic and

athletic dream world. It seemed very necessary for me to relieve some of my mother’s

financial burdens even though I knew it had always been her dream to have me finish

college.”

He began playing semi-professional football with the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast

League and then with the Honolulu Bears for a season after moving to Hawaii. His days of

playing football were cut short when the United States entered into World War II.

From 1942 to 1944, Robinson served as a lieutenant in the United States Army. While in

the army Robinson was arrested during boot camp after he refused to move to the back of a


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segregated bus during training. This would prove to be his first stand for racial equality, a sign

of the courage and impact that Robinson would have in major league baseball and American

society today. He was later acquitted of the charges and received an honorable discharge.

After his discharge from the Army in 1944, Robinson began to play professional baseball

in the Negro Leagues. A year later, October 1945, Branch Rickey, then president of the

Brooklyn Dodgers, singed Robinson to play for the all-white Montreal Royals, a Brooklyn farm

club in the International League. Despite several incidents of racial abuse Robinson had a great

start with the Royals. He lead the International League with a .349 batting average and .985

fielding percentage. Robinson, the first African-American in that league, excelled as a second

baseman and won the league batting crown.

His excellent years with the Royals led to his promotion to the Dodgers. His debut game

was on April 15, 1947. This marked the first time an African-American athlete played in the

major leagues. There were many who protested Robinson’s position on the team. As he played,

opposing teams shouted derogatory terms from their dugout and many players threatened not to

play against the Dodgers. Even Robinson’s own teammates threatened to sit out. But the

Dodgers manager Leo Durocher remained loyal to Robinson, informing the team that he would

trade them rather than Robinson. This loyalty set the tone for the rest of Robinson’s career with

the team.

Robinson was a hero on the field by succeeding in putting the prejudice and racial

conflict aside. He showed everyone what a talented player he was by hitting 12 home runs and

helping the Dodgers win the National League pennant during his first year on the team. That

same year Robinson led the National League in stolen bases and was selected as Rookie of the

Year. He continued his success for years earning the National League’s Most Valuable Player


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Awards during the 1949 season as well as leading in stolen basses that same year. He became

the highest paid athlete in Dodgers history, opening the door for other African-American players.

Robinson also became a vocal champion for African-American civil rights and other

social and political causes. In July 1949, he testified on discrimination before the House Un-

American Activities Committee. In 1952, he publically called out the Yankees as a racist

organization for not having broken the color barrier five years after he began playing with the

Dodgers. He became active in business and continued his work for social change long after

baseball. He helped establish the Freedom National Bank in Harlem because he thought black

people should have a financial institution of their own. At that time the bank was the largest

black owned and operated bank in New York State. Robinson became the first African

American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of fame in 1962. He served on the board of the

NAACP until 1967 and continued to lobby for greater integration in sports. In 1972, the

Dodgers retired his uniform number of 42.

Robinson died from heart problems and diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in

Stanford, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife, Rachel and two of their three children.

After his death, his wife established the Jackie Robinson Foundation dedicated to honoring is life

and work. The foundation continues to help young people in need by providing scholarships and

mentoring programs.


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Timeline: Events in the life of Jackie Robinson

Collage:


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Poster:


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Poem: A hero named Jackie


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Born to sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia

On his way to changing baseball, even America but didn’t know it

Basketball, baseball, football, track, all conquered

No match to his skill, he could have chosen any

Destiny choose his craft, opposition to racism, full of hope

Racial taunts, bean balls, death threats daily

Still no walking away, finished better than the rest

MVP, Rookie of the Year, World Series, Hall of Fame

Breaking Barriers, soundlessly paving the way

Changed America by changing its game

Humble beginnings, magnificent ending

A Hero named Jackie

Obituary: Jackie – Humble Beginning, Remarkable Ending


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Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, the first black baseball player in the major leagues, passed awayon October 24, 1972 from a heart attack at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 53 years old.

Robinson was an all-round athlete in college and later the star infielder of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became the pioneer for a generation of blacks in major professional sports after World War II. His skill and accomplishments resulted in the acceptance of blacks athletes in American sports.

Robinson received many awards and accolades for his great athletic skills and abilities. In 1947 he helped the Dodgers win the National League Pennant.That same year he led the National League in stolenbases and was selected as Rookie of the Year. Duringthe 1949 season he earned the National League’s MostValuable Player Award. In 1955 he helped the Dodgers achieve the ultimate victory: the World Series. He wasthe first African-American to be inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Robinson’s quiet determination will forever be remembered.

Robinson is predeceased by his oldest son, JackieRobinson Jr. He leaves to cherish his memories hisbeloved wife, Rachel, a fellow student at UCLA whomhe married in 1946, a son David; a daughter Mrs. SharonMitchell; a sister Mrs. Willie Mae Walker, and twobrothers, Mack and Edgar all of Pasadena Calif.

A funeral service will be held Friday at noonat the Riverside Church, Riverside Drive and 122nd St.Visiting hours will be from noon to 9pm at the churchon Thursday.

Conclusion


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When I first started this assignment, I was very interested in finding a topic that I didn’t

know much about. I first wanted to explore several places such as ancient Mali or China but did

not experience the eagerness or focus that I needed. Then when looking at the list of famous

Americans that the 3rd grade students studied this year, Jackie Robinson’s name stood out on the

page. Yes, I’ve heard of Robinson and knew the basic facts about him being the first African-

American baseball player to play in the major leagues. However I’d yet to really know much

information about his life story.

Once I began my research, I realized that there was so much about Robinson that I did

not know and I am so glad to have had the experience of sharing his life through so many genres

of literature. Finding pictures from that time period and articles about his life really put into

perspective the changes that African-Americans had to go through to earn respect and live a safe

life for their families. I am very proud of the accomplishments of Robinson on a personal level

as well. Being an African American, growing up I’d listen to stories told by my grandmother,

uncles and aunts about segregation. I get emotional thinking out how people black people were

treated and wonder if I could endure such treatment today. It took great courage to take a stand

for equality and I hope that children today can truly appreciate all that was done to pave the way

for their current success.

This project would be great to use for future classroom activities. I particularly enjoyed

creating visuals such as collages and posters. It provides different ways for students to show that

they know the content as well as challenges them to think creatively. When writing a poem

about Jackie Robinson I was at first very apprehensive. I reread the literature on him over and

over, looking for a place to start. Not sure how to start I just wrote down my thoughts and

become very amazed with how well lines of the poem came together. I have not written a poem


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in years! This is why I choose this activity. I wanted to be challenged so I actually researched

types of poems and read selections from many different authors. When I stumbled across poems

with no rhyme, I thought this would be great! I am very pleased with the outcome and have a

new appreciation for poets finding myself wanting to read more poetry. Being able to have a

choice in my activities was an added bonus. I believe that having a choice provided the intrinsic

motivation needed to produce quality work. I will definitely be sharing these activities with the

teachers at my school in the fall.


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References:

Ford, C. (2006). Heroes of American history: Jackie Robinson. (p. 19). Berkeley Heights, NJ:

Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Gomez, R. (2003). Jackie Robinson. Edina, Minnesota: ABDO Publishing Company.

Frost, H. (2004). Let's meet Jackie Robinson. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.

Sexton, C. (2008). Jackie Robinson: A Life of Determination. Bellwether Media.

Jackie Robinson: Biography. (2012, May 16). Retrieved June 15, 2013 from http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson

Kock, K.R. (2006). What I learned from Jackie Robinson: A Teammate’s reflections on and off the field: A book review. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 2(5) Article 3. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol2/iss5/art3

Henry, A. (1999, June 14). Jackie Robinson. Time. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebschost.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu

Stout, G. (2004). Tryout and fallout: Jackie Robinson, and the red sox. (Vol. 6, pp. 11 - 37). Massachusetts: Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25081187

Kahn, R. (1997). The Jackie Robinson i remember. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, No. 14(Winter), 88 - 93. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2962843

Green, M. (2013). Rachel Robinson my life with Jackie Robinson. People, Vol. 79(17), 81. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu

http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2962843

http://www.jstor.org/stable/25081187

http://ehis.ebschost.com.proxy.lib.odu.edu/

http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol2/iss5/art3

http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson

multi genre project jackie robinson

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