Jack Roosevelt Robinson, or Jackie Robinson, was born in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. His grandfather had been a slave, and his father was a poor tenant farmer. When Robinson was still a baby, his father left the family, never to return. Robinson's mother moved him, his sister, and three brothers to Pasadena, California, where she worked washing and ironing clothes. Life was never easy for Jackie Robinson. He later wrote in his autobiography, "I never had it made." He did have the strength and courage it took to make something of himself.

     Even as a young child, Robinson was good at sports. He later won an athletic scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). While there, he played on four of the college's sports teams—football, baseball, basketball, and track. It was his mother's dream for him to graduate. However, Robinson left UCLA during his third year to help her take care of the family.

     Robinson entered the army in 1942 to serve his country in World War II. In the army, Robinson met a soldier who used to play baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs, a team in the Negro National League. At that time, African Americans had to play in a separate league from white people. Robinson's friend told him that the Monarchs paid well and needed players. Robinson signed with the team. While playing with the Monarchs, Robinson's skills caught the attention of a man named Branch Rickey. Rickey was the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, one of the top major league baseball teams. In 1945, Rickey signed Robinson to the Montreal Royals, a Dodgers farm team. A farm team is a minor league team on which players train for the major leagues.


Army
     In 1947, Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He became the first African American to play in the major leagues. Before Rickey signed Robinson, he warned him that many people would not accept an African American playing in the major leagues. Some of the fans and players greeted Robinson's entrance with shouts, insults, and even threats. Robinson refused to fight back with fists or even harsh words. Instead, he let his superior playing speak for him. At the end of his first season, Robinson won the first-ever Rookie of the Year Award. In 1987, the Rookie of the Year Award's name was changed to the Jackie Robinson Award, to honor his contributions to baseball. In 1949, his best season, he was voted the league's Most Valuable Player. In that season, Robinson played 156 games and had:

*  203 hits
*  16 home runs
*  37 stolen bases—the most in the league
*  .342 batting average—the best in the league


Superior Playing
     In January 1957, Robinson announced his retirement from baseball. That same year, he became the first African American vice president of a major American company. Robinson also used his fame as a baseball player to get people to listen to his ideas about civil rights. He was a spokesperson for the NAACP, and in 1963 he marched for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1970, he started the Jackie Robinson Construction Company. It built homes for families who did not have a lot of money. Both on and off the playing field, Jackie Robinson worked hard to make the lives of all people better.


NAACP