National Baseball Hall of Fame Library/Photo Colorized By Bianca Alexis

Courage On and Off the Field

When Jackie Robinson stepped out of the dugout to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers 75 years ago, he shattered Major League Baseball’s color line and forever changed the nation

Alton Waldon Jr. couldn’t believe his eyes. It was 1947, and Waldon, then 11 years old, was outside his school in Brooklyn, New York, playing stickball with his friends, when up walked their hero: Jackie Robinson. It was one of many times that the first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers would stop and chat with the boys and share batting tips.

Robinson wasn’t just any ordinary ballplayer. He’d shattered professional baseball’s color line when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947—becoming the first Black player in Major League Baseball in the modern era.

Growing up as a Black boy in Brooklyn, Waldon listened to games on the radio and cheered Robinson from the stands. He still remembers it as one of the most inspiring times of his life.

“It changed how you felt about yourself,” recalls Waldon, who grew up to become a U.S. congressman from New York. “We had more glide in our stride and dip in our hips.”

Today, 75 years later, Robinson’s debut with the Dodgers is considered one of the most important moments in civil rights history. At a time when segregation was deeply embedded in the United States, he became a beacon of hope that the color lines existing throughout American society—from neighborhoods and schools to the military—could also be broken. Paving the way on the ballfield, however, wouldn’t be easy. Robinson would have to overcome challenges unlike any athlete had faced before.

Alton Waldon Jr. couldn’t believe his eyes. It was 1947. At the time, Waldon was only 11 years old. He was outside his school in Brooklyn, New York, playing stickball with his friends. Then out of nowhere came their hero: Jackie Robinson. It was one of many times that the first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers would stop and chat with the boys. During the visits, he shared batting tips with them.

Robinson wasn’t just any ordinary ballplayer. He’d crossed professional baseball’s color line when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. On that day, he become the first Black player in Major League Baseball in the modern era.

Growing up as a Black boy in Brooklyn, Waldon often listened to games on the radio. When he attended in person, he cheered Robinson from the stands. He still remembers it as one of the most inspiring times of his life.

“It changed how you felt about yourself,” recalls Waldon, who grew up to become a U.S. congressman from New York. “We had more glide in our stride and dip in our hips.”

It's been 75 years. Robinson’s debut with the Dodgers is still viewed as one of the most important moments in civil rights history. Segregation at the time was deeply rooted in the United States. From neighborhoods and schools to the military, color lines existed throughout American society. Robinson became a beacon of hope, and his rise suggested that all of the color lines could also be broken. But paving the way on the ballfield wouldn’t be easy. Robinson would have to overcome challenges no athlete had faced before.

He became a beacon of hope that the color lines throughout society could be broken.

“His legacy is not only that he broke the color line in this very important and high-profile sport,” says Gerald Early, a professor of African American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, “but also the level of discipline and self-control that it took for this experiment to work, and to show people that integration could work.”

“His legacy is not only that he broke the color line in this very important and high-profile sport,” says Gerald Early, a professor of African American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, “but also the level of discipline and self-control that it took for this experiment to work, and to show people that integration could work.”

Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images

Sliding into home plate during a baseball game in 1948

A Segregated Pastime

When Robinson was growing up in Pasadena, California, segregation plagued the nation, especially in the South. Jim Crow laws and local customs prohibited Black people from using the same public facilities as White people—including restaurants, schools, and even bathrooms and water fountains.

Segregation extended into baseball, America’s most popular sport at the time. Since the 1880s, Major League team owners had maintained a “gentleman’s agreement,” or an unwritten rule, to keep Black players out of the league. Prohibited from playing in the Majors, Black Americans—as well as Latin Americans—formed their own leagues, called the Negro* Leagues. Players in the Negro Leagues were just as talented as those in the Major Leagues, but they were paid far less. As they traveled through segregated towns, they were frequently turned away at Whites-only hotels, restaurants, and gas stations.

Robinson enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.) in 1939, where he became the school’s first four-sport varsity athlete—earning fame in baseball, basketball, track and field, and football. Three years later, after the U.S. entered World War II (1939-45), he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving like 1.2 million other Black men in segregated units.

Robinson grew up in Pasadena, California. During his childhood, segregation plagued the nation, especially in the South. Jim Crow laws and local customs kept Black people from using the same public facilities as White people. That included restaurants, schools, and even bathrooms and water fountains.

Segregation extended into baseball, America’s most popular sport at the time. Since the 1880s, Major League team owners had kept Black players out of the league. They maintained the ban by a “gentleman’s agreement,” or an unwritten rule. Unable to play in the Majors, Black Americans—as well as Latin Americans—formed their own leagues. They were called the Negro Leagues. Players in the Negro Leagues were just as talented as those in the Major Leagues, but they were paid far less. As they traveled through segregated towns, they often got turned away at Whites-only hotels, restaurants, and gas stations.

Robinson enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.) in 1939. He became the school’s first four-sport varsity athlete—earning fame in baseball, basketball, track and field, and football. Three years later, after the U.S. entered World War II (1939-45), he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He went on to serve in a segregated unit, like 1.2 million other Black men.

David J. & Janice L. Frent/Corbis via Getty Images

After his discharge in 1944, Robinson played second base for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. It was there that he caught the attention of Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ president and general manager.

Rickey was morally opposed to segregation. He also thought signing a Negro League player could help the Dodgers win their first World Series in team history, and he saw a potential financial upside in attracting Black fans to the ballpark.

Rickey knew he’d need a special type of ballplayer to ensure that his “noble experiment” of integrating the league would be a success. He needed not only a talented athlete, but someone who had the courage to withstand verbal and physical abuse from opponents, umpires, fans, and even some of his own teammates. Could Robinson handle the pressure? Rickey intended to find out.

After his discharge in 1944, Robinson played second base for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. It was there that he caught the attention of Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ president and general manager.

Rickey was morally against segregation. He thought signing a Negro League player could help the Dodgers win their first World Series in team history. And he also saw a potential financial upside in attracting Black fans to the ballpark.

Rickey knew he’d need a special type of ballplayer to make sure that his “noble experiment” of integrating the league would be a success. He needed more than a talented athlete. He needed someone who had the courage to rise above verbal and physical abuse from opponents, umpires, fans, and even some of his own teammates. Could Robinson handle the pressure? Rickey aimed to find out.

Ed Jackson/NY Daily News via Getty Images

Teammates Pee Wee Reese and Robinson chat in the dugout. Reese embraced Robinson, making it clear to the public that he was a valued member of the team.

The Guts ‘Not to Fight Back’

In August 1945, Rickey invited Robinson to his office at Ebbets Field, where the Brooklyn Dodgers played. In his autobiography I Never Had It Made, Robinson recounts how Rickey hurled every insult he could think of that Robinson might encounter to test how the ballplayer would respond.

“Mr. Rickey,” Robinson asked, “are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?”

“I’m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back,” Rickey replied.

Not retaliating wouldn’t be easy for Robinson, who had railed against discrimination earlier in his life (see “A Civil Rights Pioneer” below). But he agreed to play by Rickey’s rules if it meant putting an end to baseball’s color line.

“He was a man who had great racial pride,” says Early, the professor, “and great willingness to sacrifice for his people.”

In August 1945, Rickey invited Robinson to his office at Ebbets Field, where the Brooklyn Dodgers played. In his autobiography I Never Had It Made, Robinson recounts how Rickey hurled every insult he could think of that Robinson might face to test how the ballplayer would respond.

“Mr. Rickey,” Robinson asked, “are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?”

“I’m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back,” Rickey replied.

Robinson had fought against discrimination earlier in his life. Not striking back wouldn’t be easy for him (see “A Civil Rights Pioneer” below). But he agreed to play by Rickey’s rules if it meant putting an end to baseball’s color line.

“He was a man who had great racial pride,” says Early, the professor, “and great willingness to sacrifice for his people.”

Robinson responded by letting his playing do the talking.

Sure enough, when Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947, there were already signs of trouble. Some of his teammates began preparing a petition, saying they wouldn’t play with a Black man. A few asked to be traded. And some teams discussed going on strike.

But league officials and the Dodgers staff came to Robinson’s defense. On opening day of the 1947 season, Robinson made history when he stepped onto Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers, in front of more than 26,000 fans. But his impact went beyond the baseball diamond.

“You have made every Negro in America proud,” the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. would later tell Robinson, “through your baseball prowess and your inflexible demand for equal opportunity for all.” 

Sure enough, when Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947, there were already signs of trouble. Some of his teammates began preparing a petition, saying they wouldn’t play with a Black man. A few asked to be traded. And some teams discussed going on strike.

But league officials and the Dodgers staff came to Robinson’s defense. On opening day of the 1947 season, Robinson made history when he stepped onto Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. More than 26,000 fans attended the game that day. But his impact went beyond the baseball diamond.

“You have made every Negro in America proud,” the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. would later tell Robinson, “through your baseball prowess and your inflexible demand for equal opportunity for all.” 

Integration Milestones in Sports

Four pro leagues, and the years they were integrated

NFL (football) 1946*

MLB (baseball) 1947

NBA (basketball) 1950

NHL (hockey) 1958

Source: ESPN

NFL (football) 1946*

MLB (baseball) 1947

NBA (basketball) 1950

NHL (hockey) 1958

Source: ESPN

*The integration of the NFL received far less publicity because football wasn’t nearly as popular as baseball.

*The integration of the NFL received far less publicity because football wasn’t nearly as popular as baseball.

Barred From Hotels and Restaurants

Death Threats: Discrimination was common throughout Robinson’s life and career. He received criticism from other players as well as threats, including this letter before a game with the Cincinnati Reds.

Robinson’s promise to Rickey to “turn the other cheek” was repeatedly put to the test. Opposing pitchers threw at his head and runners spiked him with their cleats. Spectators, and at least one opposing manager, shouted racist insults at him.

Robinson endured injustices off the field as well. While traveling for games through Jim Crow towns, he was barred from being at the same hotels and restaurants as his White teammates. A sportswriter for the New York Post called him “the loneliest man” in sports.

But time and time again, Robinson let his playing do the talking. With a rare mix of speed and power, he won over the admiration of his teammates, and the Dodgers’ crowd attendance soared as Black and White spectators flocked to ballparks to catch a glimpse of him. In his first season, Robinson led the Dodgers to the World Series and was named Rookie of the Year.

As Robinson’s career went on, he increasingly spoke out against the prejudices he faced from umpires, other players, and even the hotels where the Dodgers stayed. Many White people resented Robinson’s outspokenness, and he received death threats (see image, above). But he silenced critics by leading the Dodgers to their first World Series championship, in 1955.

Robinson retired from baseball two years later, but not before opening the door for more Black players to break into the Majors. By the time he retired, nearly every team in the league had a Black player, and many had more than one.

But most important, he paved the way for integration in other spheres of American life. Just over a year after Robinson’s debut with the Dodgers, President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order abolishing racial segregation in the military. And in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in public schools violates the Constitution. 

Robinson’s promise to Rickey to “turn the other cheek” was repeatedly put to the test. Opposing pitchers threw at his head and runners spiked him with their cleats. Spectators, and at least one opposing manager, shouted racist insults at him.

Robinson endured injustices off the field as well. While traveling for games through Jim Crow towns, he couldn’t stay at the same hotels and eat at the same restaurants as his White teammates. A sportswriter for the New York Post called him “the loneliest man” in sports.

But time and time again, Robinson let his playing do the talking. With a rare mix of speed and power, he won over the admiration of his teammates. And the Dodgers’ crowd attendance soared as Black and White spectators flocked to ballparks to catch a glimpse of him. In his first season, Robinson led the Dodgers to the World Series and was named Rookie of the Year.

As Robinson’s career went on, he spoke out more against the hatred he faced from umpires, other players, and even the hotels where the Dodgers stayed. Many White people didn’t like Robinson’s outspokenness. As a result, he received death threats (see image, above). But he silenced critics by leading the Dodgers to their first World Series championship in 1955.

Robinson retired from baseball two years later. Before doing so, he opened the door for more Black players to break into the Majors. By the time he retired, nearly every team in the league had a Black player, and many had more than one.

But most important, he led the way for integration in other parts of American life. Just over a year after Robinson’s debut with the Dodgers, President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order ending racial segregation in the military. And in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in public schools violates the Constitution.

Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

NBA star LeBron James wears a jersey with Jackie Robinson’s number to honor him.  

A Lasting Legacy 

After baseball, Robinson remained active in the quest for racial equality. In the 1960s, Robinson traveled to the Deep South, giving speeches at demonstrations that would help lead to the passage of civil rights legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in public places. Robinson also wrote a weekly newspaper column where he continued to fight for civil rights in sports and beyond.

On October 24, 1972—10 years after he was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame—Robinson suffered a heart attack and died at just 53 years old. Today, his number, 42, is the only number retired throughout Major League Baseball. The only time it’s worn is on Jackie Robinson Day each April 15, when every player in the league wears number 42 on his back in Robinson’s honor.

Indeed, 75 years after his debut with the Dodgers, Robinson’s legacy continues. In recent years, many professional athletes—from Colin Kaepernick to LeBron James to Maya Moore and other W.N.B.A. stars—have spoken out against racial injustice. Many historians say that if Robinson were alive today, he would support those athletes standing up against discrimination.

“If I had a room jammed with trophies,” Robinson once wrote, “and a child of mine came into that room and asked what I had done in defense of black people and decent whites fighting for freedom, and I had to tell that child that I had kept quiet, that I had been timid, I would have to mark myself a total failure at the whole business of living.”

After baseball, Robinson stayed active in the quest for racial equality. In the 1960s, Robinson traveled to the Deep South. There, he gave speeches at demonstrations that would help ensure civil rights. That included the passage of laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in public places. Robinson also wrote a weekly newspaper column where he continued to fight for civil rights in sports and beyond.

On October 24, 1972, Robinson suffered a heart attack and died at just 53 years old. Only 10 years earlier, he was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Today, his number, 42, is the only number retired throughout Major League Baseball. The only time it’s worn is on Jackie Robinson Day each April 15. During the celebration, every player in the league wears number 42 on his back in Robinson’s honor.

Indeed, 75 years after his debut with the Dodgers, Robinson’s legacy continues. In recent years, many professional athletes have spoken out against racial injustice. That includes a range of athletes, from Colin Kaepernick to LeBron James to Maya Moore and other W.N.B.A. stars. Many historians say that if Robinson were alive today, he would support those athletes standing up against discrimination.

“If I had a room jammed with trophies,” Robinson once wrote, “and a child of mine came into that room and asked what I had done in defense of black people and decent whites fighting for freedom, and I had to tell that child that I had kept quiet, that I had been timid, I would have to mark myself a total failure at the whole business of living.”

*The term Negro, referring to Black Americans, was in common use in the middle of the 20th century but today would be considered offensive.

*The term Negro, referring to Black Americans, was in common use in the middle of the 20th century but today would be considered offensive.

William C. Green/Sports Studio Photos/Getty Images

Robinson served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

A Civil Rights Pioneer

Even before baseball, Jackie Robinson stood up to discrimination

Robinson was a vocal opponent of racial injustice long before he put on a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform. In July 1944, when Robinson was an Army lieutenant, he boarded a military bus at Fort Hood, Texas. Though an order had been issued earlier that year desegregating military buses, many in the South maintained separate seating for Whites and Blacks. When Robinson sat down in the middle of the bus, the driver ordered him to move to the back.

Robinson refused. He was arrested by military police and court-martialed for “insubordination” but was found not guilty.

Robinson’s defiant act came 11 years before Rosa Parks would spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott in a similar way: by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a White passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. And Robinson’s nonviolent resistance—both on the Army bus and, later, by “turning the other cheek” on the ballfield—would be replicated again and again during sit-ins at lunch counters and other civil rights protests, such as the 1961 Freedom Rides (see the Sept. 20, 2021, issue of Upfront).

The civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. once said of Robinson: “He was a sit-inner before the sit-ins, a Freedom Rider before the Freedom Rides.”

Robinson was a vocal opponent of racial injustice long before he put on a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform. In July 1944, when Robinson was an Army lieutenant, he boarded a military bus at Fort Hood, Texas. Though an order had been issued earlier that year desegregating military buses, many in the South maintained separate seating for Whites and Blacks. When Robinson sat down in the middle of the bus, the driver ordered him to move to the back.

Robinson refused. He was arrested by military police and court-martialed for “insubordination” but was found not guilty.

Robinson’s defiant act came 11 years before Rosa Parks would spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott in a similar way: by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a White passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. And Robinson’s nonviolent resistance—both on the Army bus and, later, by “turning the other cheek” on the ballfield—would be replicated again and again during sit-ins at lunch counters and other civil rights protests, such as the 1961 Freedom Rides (see the Sept. 20, 2021, issue of Upfront).

The civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. once said of Robinson: “He was a sit-inner before the sit-ins, a Freedom Rider before the Freedom Rides.”

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