Determination- The story of Jackie Robinson by Deborah Woodworth
ISBN# 9781567662269
Examines the life of the talented black athlete who broke the color barrier in major league baseball by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, focusing on the role of determination in his success.
This book 1 out of 8 “Value Biographies”- Children’s Books
I will be posting these books one by one as I piece together the set. Little more challenging to find as it is an older series of children’s books. Good Stuff!
The other 7 are as follows:
Bravery- The story of the sitting bull
Compassion- The story of Clara Barton
Curiosity- The story of Marie Curie
Dreams- The story of Martin Luther King
Forgiveness- The story of Mahatma Gandhi
A life of love- The story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Perseverance- The story of Thomas Alva Edison
What does determination really mean?
The dictionary says that if “you are determined, you are resolute, unwavering, and decided”. In other words, you’ve made up your mind and thats that!
The 1964 Civic Rights Act outlawed unfair treatment of blacks and other minorities. But by then, Jackie Robinson was already 45 years old. While he was growing up, he didn’t have strong rights to protect his rights. He had to be fiercely determined to succeed. Jackie Robinson had the courage to NOT fight back while playing professional baseball for the dodgers. He knew playing for the dodgers meant representing his entire race. If he lost his temper, other blacks would have a a far tougher time making it to the major leagues to play baseball. A less determined man might had given up or started a fight when another player called him names or spiked him sliding into 2nd base. But, Jackie made up his mind. He was fiercely determined to break the color barrier so he and other blacks could play major league baseball. If that meant gritting his teeth to hold his temper, then thats what he would do! Jackie was a clutch player. That means he played well when things weren’t going well, and the pressure was on! When people yelled insults at him and pitchers threw at his head, they just made Jackie MORE determined. When Jackie Robinson didn’t fight back, some people called him a coward. However, it took real courage and determination for him to keep his cool. He made a promise, and kept that promise. By 1949, other major league teams had hired black players. The color barrier was broken.
Jackie went into the owner of the dodgers office and said: “Mr. Rickey, I have done what I promised. I didnt fight back for 3 years no matter what they said or did to me. Is it time now for me to speak out on these racial issues?”. Mr Rickey said: “Yes Jackie, you have earned the right to be yourself! Now is the time to speak out against inequality!”.
Jackie often called other black professional players to make them feel less alone. Even when some of them became famous, including Willie Mays- they never forgot how Jackie Robinson helped them. Really determined people belive they have something really important to do with their lives. They have a purpose or a goal that they strive for with all their strength. Jackie Robinson was determined to be an excellent athlete, during a time where racial inequality was present. He wanted to prove that talent can come with any skin color. He wanted to show that everyone deserves a chance!
In 1962, Jackie became the first black player elected into the baseball hall of fame. He had also won rookie of the year his first year. Jackie was a significant part of the black community during the civil rights era. “He turned a stumbling block into a stepping stone”- said Jessie Jackson’s euology at Jackie Robinsons’s funeral OCT 27th, 1972.
On a side note. Jackie is an OG. Half the country wanna get mad at Colin Kaepernick….I’ll never stand for the flag again until the #blacklivesmatter movement gets justice! Flag is just a flag. Patriotism is just brainwashing. Kinda like sitting in a structured order throughout school. Standing up to say the ‘pledge of allegiance’- as a KID? What kind of shit is that? Im all for equality for HUMANS, in all ways. I am not better than anyone else simply because I was lucky to be born in this country and be LABELED as an american. Why should I be PROUD to be an american? WHAT DID I DO? NOTHING. #EQUALITYFORALL
