Civil Rights Movements

Rachel Robinson recalls her wedding to Jackie in 1946. In lieu of a honeymoon, the Robinsons traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida for the Dodgers' spring training. The Robinsons faced discrimination and segregation along the journey; they were bumped from planes, sent to the backs of buses, and confronted with racist comments.

Jackie Robinson quickly became a star of the Dodgers. Robinson led the league in batting average and runs, and was a fan favorite. Robinson began challenging other ballplayers and umpires freely during games, and reporters started going to Robison directly for quotes, because he spoke out honestly. Despite Robinson's success in the game and media attention, and although the Dodgers had racially integrated more quickly than any other team, Robinson and his black teammates had separate lockers and showers. Many of Robinson's white teammates were uncomfortable playing with African Americans.

Alton Waldon shares a childhood memory meeting Jackie Robinson at a shop in Brooklyn. Robinson treated Waldon and his friends to ice cream that day, and here Waldon recounts the meaningful experience of meeting a real hero who looked like them.

in 1945, Jackie Robinson entered the Negro American League to play for the Kansas City Monarchs. In this clip, teammate Buck O’Neil recounts that when the team bus stopped at a gas station in Oklahoma, and the station attendant stated that the restroom was "for whites only,” Robinson told the attendant “No restroom, no gas.” Fearing the loss of a large sale of gasoline, the attendant agreed to let them use the restroom.

In 1944, Jackie Robinson refused to move to the back of a military bus when instructed to do so by a civilian driver.  In fact, there was an Army regulation in place prohibiting discrimination on Army vehicles operating on Army posts. Robinson was arrested, charged with insubordination, and court-martialed. During the court proceedings,  Robinson was prohibited from being deployed. Meanwhile, the baseball club's director's were supporting order to integrate the Dodgers and find the team's first African American star.

As myth has it, in 1947 Cincinnati fans were giving Jackie Robinson a particularly hard time so, in a show of support, Pee Wee Reese walked over to Robinson and put his arm around the rookie. This was viewed as an act of racial empathy by Reese, a popular player from nearby Kentucky. The story is most likely untrue, and critics now note that Reese should not have been so celebrated for such a basic act.

Students explore the highs and lows of Jackie Robinson’s first year as a Brooklyn Dodger (1947) and how his race played a role in the formation of different expectations people had of him. They will examine an instance of the harassment Robinson experienced on the field, analyze how he dealt with it, and explore ways aggression, prejudice, and bullying can be addressed.  In this activity, students will: Explore the unique conditions Jackie Robinson faced as he entered Major League Baseball. Review the highs and lows of Robinson’s first year as a Brooklyn Dodger. Analyze how Robinson’s race played a role in forming the different expectations people had of him. Examine the harassment Robinson experienced and how he reacted to it. Consider the difference between implicit and explicit racism. Assess the issue of bullying and strategies to address it.

Public perceptions of Jackie Robinson, militancy, black masculinity, and the Civil Rights Movement shifted during the 1950s-1960s. Robinson's image, once a symbol of black masculinity and strength, was overpowered by the strength of activists like Muhammed Ali and Jim Brown. Robinson struggled to find his place in the shifting movement.

Rachel Robinson describes Jackie Robinson's stance against violence and the rhetoric surrounding it, and his perspective on Malcolm X's militant views. Robinson denounced Malcolm X as "a man without a plan," while Malcolm X viewed Robinson as detatched from the needs of African Americans. Robison saw business and politics as the next frontiers of civil rights progress, and helped found the first black-owned bank in New York to serve African Americans who were typically denied service elsewhere.

In this activity, students analyze how experiences of discrimination and prejudice in Jackie Robinson’s early life shaped his character and values. Students will consider more broadly how discrimination and prejudice affect people's lives, and develop strategies for addressing prejudiced actions and attitudes. In this activity, students will: Better understand living conditions for African-Americans under Jim Crow segregation in post-Reconstruction America. Analyze the reasons for the Great Migration of southern African-Americans to cities in the North and West. Evaluate the differences between implicit and explicit racism. Identify and assess the effectiveness of approaches to addressing discrimination and prejudice.

Overview: Students examine why and how Jackie Robinson fought for further integration after the Supreme Court’s decision that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. Students will explore the Robinson family’s experiences facing overt racism, and discuss the ways implicit attitudes of prejudice shape people’s behavior and treatment of others.  In this activity, students will: Examine the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Assess Robinson’s efforts to push for further integration in private establishments. Analyze the impact, application, and limitations of the 14th Amendment and Brown v. Board of Education. Consider examples of implicit and explicit racism in the United States.

Students examine how frustration with the lack of progress in terms of equity, social justice, and access to opportunity for African-Americans bolstered the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Students will evaluate how this disenfranchisement played a role in forming more militant factions during this period. Next, students assess the dilemma Jackie Robinson faced as a younger generation vocalized new concerns and became actively involved in the movement. Last, students compare and contrast the state of race relations in the 1960s versus today and think critically about what can be done to improve existing conditions. For extended discussion of complex contemporary issues related to race in the United States, consider showing your students “The American Fault Line: Race and the American Ideal,” a conversation with Ken Burns and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. In the activity that follows, students will: Explore sources of frustration with the lack of progress in social justice and the advent of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.  Examine the development of more militant factions and ideologies during the civil rights era, including an analysis of Jackie Robinson’s perceptions of Malcolm X.  Analyze the state of race relations in the 1960s compared to today. What has changed? What has not?  Explore how government policy and social shifts can maintain or improve race relations.