Yet before the game could take place, the Police Commissioner named Bull Connor threatened to ban the game by enforcing a city ordinance prohibiting interracial athletic events This was one example of the extreme measures that characterized Birmingham as the most segregated city in America. After consulting community leaders, Jackie Robinson decided to play the game by benching his white players resulting in an all Black team rather than cancel the game and give further notoriety to Bull Connor. Bull Connor did achieve national notoriety ten years later in 1963 when he ordered high power fire hoses and police dogs to be used against peaceful protestors during the famous Birmingham Campaign to desegregate public facilities. Bull Connor is remembered as a violent segregationist on the wrong side of history.
Jackie Robinson is remembered not only as the first Black player in Major League Baseball but also as a leader in the struggle for racial justice. Years before the movement led by Dr. King, Jackie Robinson embodied nonviolent resistance in the face of persistent expressions of hate directed at him as the first Black Major League player. After his baseball career, he participated regularly in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s including the 1963 Birmingham Campaign and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The first video posted below provides an overview of his life and witness for racial justice. The second video is a clip of Jackie Robinson addressing a rally in Birmingham during the 1963 campaign.
Bull Connor and Jackie Robinson are examples of contrasting responses to the struggle for justice and equality. Bull Connor was convinced that he had the “law” on his side and ended up as a notorious example of being on the wrong side of history. Jackie Robinson challenged unjust “laws” and systems in order to change them in the direction of greater justice for all. He is honored as an example of what it means to endure the struggle to be on the right side of history. In different ways, the choice between Bull and Jackie is still with us today. Are we committed to supporting and enforcing the status quo when that includes systems that marginalize some people by race, gender, economic status, or sexual orientation? Or are we committed to continuing the struggle for equality of all people even when that means challenging current laws and systems? The choice is still with us – Bull or Jackie.