Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey
Major League Baseball started its 2022 season earlier this month. Last week on April 15, every player wore number 42 in honor of the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson integrating the major leagues. It is well known that he was the first Black player in the modern era of the major league and that talented Black players had been forced to play in the Negro Leagues for decades. Yet just as important as when Jackie Robinson integrated the major leagues is how he did so. His amazing athletic ability was coupled with an equally amazing commitment to nonviolence in response to the constant barrage of racist abuse aimed at him in cities around the country. As with any of us, such nonviolence does not come naturally. It takes both personal intention and community support. For Jackie Robinson, that intention and support were nurtured by Branch Rickey who was the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Before signing him to a major league contract, Branch Rickey confronted Jackie Robinson with a variety of racist scenarios he was bound to face from baseball fans, players, and management. Although there was no way to prevent these racist attacks, Jackie Robinson could not retaliate. Otherwise it would provide an excuse to perpetuate negative stereotypes about “angry and violent’ Black men that would likely set back integrating the major league for years to come.
Branch Rickey’s signing and support of Jackie Robinson were not just about acquiring the talent of a great baseball player. From the time that he went to Ohio Wesleyan College in the early 20th century, Branch Rickey developed a passion for racial justice. He witnessed the racist mistreatment of a Black teammate on the college’s baseball team and acted in support of his teammate. The first video posted below provides insight about that time in his life and how it laid the foundation for the momentous integration of the major leagues in 1947.
Jackie Robinson’s commitment to racial justice began before his major league career and continued throughout his life. After retiring from a historic baseball career, he was active in th modern civil rights movement. He became one of the most sought after speakers of that era. Toward the end of his life in 1972, he challenged Major League Baseball to hire Black managers at a time when that had not yet happened. The second video posted below helps to put Jackie Robinson’s legacy into perspective for today.
As we remember and honor the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson integrating Major League Baseball, it is important to honor his legacy of nonviolent action for racial justice. His partnership with Branch Rickey continues to serve as a testimony to the transforming power of interracial commitment to racial justice.