Jackie earned the title of Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1943 and was assigned to Fort Riley in Kansas. Here, he was the victim of tireless discrimination and intense racial hatred, resulting in him requesting a transfer. He was relocated to Fort Hood in Texas, but things were no different here, as the racist harassment continued. Finally, Jackie had had enough. On July 6th, 1943, he was ordered to move to the back of a military bus he had been seated on. Twelve whole years before Rosa Parks did the same thing, Jackie defied the order and boldly took a stand against discrimination. Five years before Harry S Truman issued Executive Order 9981 and desegregated the military, Jackie Robinson took it upon himself to stand up against
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Forget that he was the first African American player in baseball, forget that he will forever live in the baseball Hall of Fame as one of the greatest players to step onto a baseball field, and forget that he had an incredible impact on the Civil Rights Movement. At this point in time, Jackie was just an ordinary African American man in the military. He had no notoriety, no fame, no power, whatsoever, to back up such a bold statement such as refusing to obey a white man. The only thing he had was the courage and strength that given to him from his mother. Jackie knew that segregation was something that needed to be stopped, and by refusing to move to the back of the bus that day, he began his life’s work with tearing down the walls that divided our nation so long …show more content…
He single-handedly changed the sport, forever. He was also a Civil Rights Pioneer, and was damn good at that, too. He helped make changes that have benefitted our country in ways that are still felt to this very day. In 1996, the MLB officially retired Jackie Robinson’s jersey number, 42, entirely from the league. This means no player will ever wear this number as an American professional baseball player, in honor of Jackie Robinson. No other player has had this honor bestowed upon them, and no other sport has ever done this for any of their players. Jackie Robinson was an incredible human being, both on and off the
Forget that he was the first African American player in baseball, forget that he will forever live in the baseball Hall of Fame as one of the greatest players to step onto a baseball field, and forget that he had an incredible impact on the Civil Rights Movement. At this point in time, Jackie was just an ordinary African American man in the military. He had no notoriety, no fame, no power, whatsoever, to back up such a bold statement such as refusing to obey a white man. The only thing he had was the courage and strength that given to him from his mother. Jackie knew that segregation was something that needed to be stopped, and by refusing to move to the back of the bus that day, he began his life’s work with tearing down the walls that divided our nation so long …show more content…
He single-handedly changed the sport, forever. He was also a Civil Rights Pioneer, and was damn good at that, too. He helped make changes that have benefitted our country in ways that are still felt to this very day. In 1996, the MLB officially retired Jackie Robinson’s jersey number, 42, entirely from the league. This means no player will ever wear this number as an American professional baseball player, in honor of Jackie Robinson. No other player has had this honor bestowed upon them, and no other sport has ever done this for any of their players. Jackie Robinson was an incredible human being, both on and off the