Jackie Robinson was born and raised in the town of Cairo in Georgia on January 31, 1919. Out of five siblings, he was the youngest. His mother was single and did her best to raise Jackie and his siblings. The high school he went to was John Muir. He then went on to Pasadena Junior College. In college, he played not only baseball, but football, track and basketball as well. He was a great athlete at all four sports. The main person who helped persuade Jackie to continue his talent in baseball was his brother, Matthew. Shortly after, Jackie went on to attend the University of California, Los Angeles. He was there to further his education and continue to play the sports he loved. He won varsity in four different sports there and was the first student to ever do this. In 1941, Jackie had to leave UCLA because of financial problems and had to help his mother out. This was definitely not the end of his baseball career. ("Jackie Robinson Biography" 1).
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Jackie later moved to Honolulu, Hawaii and played football on a team
with the Honolulu Bears. He wasn't able to finish the season though because the United States faced World War ll. In the United States army, Jackie was a second lieutenant from 1942 to 1944. During training, Jackie was court martialed and arrested because he didn't want to sit in the back of a segregated bus. The charges were later dropped and he got an honorable discharge. In 1944 after he left the army, he started playing baseball professionally. He then signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. After his baseball career, he became an activist for social change and participated in types of businesses. Jackie was a member of the NAACP until 1967. He was also the first African American to be in the baseball hall of fame in the year of 1962. His jersey number "42" was reserved for all baseball players to come. On October, 24, 1972, Jackie passed away due to problems with diabetes and his heart in the city of Stamford, Connecticut. Short after his death, Rachel Isum, his wife, started the Jackie Robinson foundation that was created to honor his baseball career and life. It helps younger people by equipping them with scholarships and mentoring. Today, Jackie is still known and is remembered by every baseball team. ("Jackie Robinson Biography" pages 2-3). 15/15 |