Page 4 - Jackie Robinson: Patriot
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Patriot
Like all African Americans, Jackie endured the humiliation of segregation. When he was a child, his mother
Mallie impressed upon him that he owned every right as an American as any white person. Yet he learned being
black deprived him of the basic freedoms white Americans enjoyed. During World War II, when black Americans
were being asked to risk their lives for a democracy that did not exist for them in practice, Jackie served in
segregated units. He was one of the best athletes in the country but being black barred him from playing
on the military baseball team in Kansas.
Nevertheless, he believed deeply in America’s promise, pledging to his country even when it did not reciprocate.
He exhibited his patriotism through engagement, testifying several times before Congress. He supported the war
in Vietnam, even though it meant disagreeing with his friend Martin Luther King, Jr., and then opposed the war
once he saw the war’s toll on American soldiers. Near the end of his life, his faith in America waned, but he always
remained engaged. To Robinson, patriotism did not mean agreeing with America blindly, but caring enough
to be both supportive and critical of his county.
2 Jack Roosevelt Robinson: Patriot
