Leadership in Civil Rights
"Baseball was just a part of my life. Thank God I didn't allow a sport or business or any part of my life dominate me completely." - Jackie Robinson
Robinson displayed leadership in civil rights even before his baseball career. During 1944, Robinson was riding home on a bus with one of his fellow lieutenant's wife. The bus driver wasn't pleased, seeing an African-American sitting in the front of a bus, so he told Robinson to move to the back. Robinson didn't budge or make eye contact when the bus driver confronted him. When Robinson didn't move, he yelled at Robinson, and called the police. "I told him hotly that I couldn't care less about me causing his trouble." - Jackie Robinson. Robinson was court-martialed, but found innocent.
Robinson's leadership displayed on the baseball diamond was surpassed only by his dedication to leadership during the Civil Rights Movement. He used his baseball fame to advocate for African-American rights. “Robinson used his national celebrity and commitment to equal rights to fuel many efforts to help African Americans achieve full citizenship through the ‘ballot and the buck” (Library of Congress).
He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1947. There, he chaired the Freedom Fund Drive, a campaign to support the NAACP and help pay legal fees in efforts to abolish segregation and discrimination. "With all this money that Jackie Robinson was raising, this helped the NAACP take on many cases." - Gwen Scott.
Robinson's leadership displayed on the baseball diamond was surpassed only by his dedication to leadership during the Civil Rights Movement. He used his baseball fame to advocate for African-American rights. “Robinson used his national celebrity and commitment to equal rights to fuel many efforts to help African Americans achieve full citizenship through the ‘ballot and the buck” (Library of Congress).
He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1947. There, he chaired the Freedom Fund Drive, a campaign to support the NAACP and help pay legal fees in efforts to abolish segregation and discrimination. "With all this money that Jackie Robinson was raising, this helped the NAACP take on many cases." - Gwen Scott.
Robinson and his wife Rachel began “Afternoon of Jazz” concerts in 1963 raising money for both the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The SCLC supported civil rights work and voter registration drives in the South. Martin Luther King, the SCLC president, wrote a letter expressing his appreciation for their work and the importance of it. “Such moral and financial support is of inestimable value for the continuance of our humble efforts. Without your dollars for freedom, the Conference would be unable to work effectively toward its goal of the full integration of the Negro into all aspects of American life” (Long, p.179).
After retiring from baseball, Robinson worked as Vice-President for personnel at Chock Full O’ Nuts from 1957 to 1964, which also was a pivotal role. “As a corporate Vice-President, this is a whole different level because most black people were not in business. When he’s able to be a Vice-President of a large corporation, this allows him to have more power. It allows him to bring in more black people into business” – Gwen Scott.
Robinson was also present with Martin Luther King in many marches, including the famous march in Washington where Martin Luther King would deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech. Throughout his time working with the NAACP and contributing towards the fight for equality, Robinson wrote many letters to the White House, advocating for African-American's civil rights. In 1957, Jackie Robinson sent a telegram to Frederick Morrow, the Presidential Assistant to President Eisenhower. "[I] am opposed to civil rights bill in present form." - Jackie Robinson. This letter was written because he believed the Civil Rights Act didn't give enough rights to the African-Americans. President Eisenhower, however, still signed the bill, but that didn't stop Robinson. From March 12, 1946, to May 17, 1972, Robinson wrote letters to various important figures, including Richard Nixon, Robert F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Nelson Rockefeller.
After retiring from baseball, Robinson worked as Vice-President for personnel at Chock Full O’ Nuts from 1957 to 1964, which also was a pivotal role. “As a corporate Vice-President, this is a whole different level because most black people were not in business. When he’s able to be a Vice-President of a large corporation, this allows him to have more power. It allows him to bring in more black people into business” – Gwen Scott.
Robinson was also present with Martin Luther King in many marches, including the famous march in Washington where Martin Luther King would deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech. Throughout his time working with the NAACP and contributing towards the fight for equality, Robinson wrote many letters to the White House, advocating for African-American's civil rights. In 1957, Jackie Robinson sent a telegram to Frederick Morrow, the Presidential Assistant to President Eisenhower. "[I] am opposed to civil rights bill in present form." - Jackie Robinson. This letter was written because he believed the Civil Rights Act didn't give enough rights to the African-Americans. President Eisenhower, however, still signed the bill, but that didn't stop Robinson. From March 12, 1946, to May 17, 1972, Robinson wrote letters to various important figures, including Richard Nixon, Robert F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Nelson Rockefeller.