Hello Class! Who here likes baseball!?

Well today we are going to learn about a really important

person who was born right here in Georgia and made it all the way to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
His name is Jackie Robin sin.

Jackie Robinson was much more than just a Hall of Fame Baseball Player he is a hero to the civil
rights movement and a testament to patience, humility, and sportsmanship.

This is why we can call Jackie Robinson an Icon of the Civil Rights Movement and of
sportsmanship.

But what is an icon? An Icon is a symbol that we quickly and easily recognize and associate with
something important…

Like when we see this--- we think of hamburgers and French Fries. Hmmm.

And when we see this we instantly think about shopping.

When we see this symbol and the number 42 --- we instantly should think about all of the
hardship and sacrifice that made Jackie Robinson a true American hero.

Jackie was born in 1919 --- back then there were no black players playing for any Major League
Baseball team.

In 1946 Jackie Robinson was offered a contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers by General
Manager and Club President Branch Ricky --- this was the first contract ever signed by a black
man to play professional baseball in the major leagues.

On April 15, 1947, at 28 years old, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league
baseball by becoming the first black man to play in a game. Jackie would go on to play ten
seasons for the Dodgers and change sports ----- and the whole world forever.

Many people were upset by this and Jackie was often booed, harassed, and even had his
family’s life threatened on many occasions.

Imagine how much this must have hurt Jackie. But Jackie never showed his pain publicly or
retaliated with violence; and he took out his aggression on the field. In 1949 Jackie was named
the Most Valuable Player of the National League and in 1955 he led the Dodgers to a World
Series victory.

More than this ---Jackie being the first black professional baseball player opened the door to
others to follow him--- not just in sports, but in jobs all throughout society. Even the United
States Military integrated black and white soldiers after following the lead of Major League
Baseball in 1948.
Jackie Robinson opened a door towards equality and fairness that would never be closed again.
Because of this and his legacy of kindness on and off the field, Jackie Robinson is a hero and an
icon of the Civil Rights Movement and of good sportsmanship.