Robinson Changes Americans' Views on Racism .
Jackie Robinson was one of the most profound individuals to ever walk on this earth. Robinson established a reputation as a man who never tolerated insults to his dignity (Kahn 6). One of his accomplishments was entering the major leagues and is one of the most remarkable and inspiring accomplishments in sports history. When Robinson became the first black to play in Major League Baseball, he changed Americans' views on racism forever.
Robinson was born the youngest of five children near Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. Robinson's father, a sharecropper, left the family when Robinson was only about 2 years old. His mother, Mallie McGriff Robinson, then moved to Pasadena, California to find work (James 5). Trouble found Robinson at an early age, when he became a member of the Pasadena gang (7). Mack, Robinson's older brother, used sports to become popular not drugs or gangs (8). In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Mack won the silver metal in the 200m-hurdle (13). Learning to deal with criticism early was a major contribution to his success in life. He and his friends would be called racial names while just trying to play baseball at the local park (Kahn 10). .
Not long after the family moved to Pasadena, California Robinson's mother enrolled him into Pasadena Junior College. At Pasadena Junior College Robinson set a National Junior College record in the long jump of 25' 6 ½- (Ringer 22). After only one year at Pasadena Junior College Robinson received an athletic scholarship to UCLA (23). There, Robinson became the first Bruin athlete to earn varsity letters in four sports (25). Robinson was a standout in football, baseball, basketball and track (26). After three years of college Robinson left college to work to support his mother (29). Several months later, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and he enlisted in the U.S. Army (31).
