[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 44 (Tuesday, April 15, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H1516-H1520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF JACKIE ROOSEVELT ROBINSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 1997, the gentlewoman from Florida [Mrs. Meek] is recognized 
for 30 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to help this Congress and 
America understand the dignity and the grace and the illumination which 
Jackie Robinson, Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, brought to our wonderful 
country, the United States of America. I am delighted to have this 
opportunity to host this special order, and it is going to honor one of 
the true greats in American history, and that is Jackie.
  Why is it relevant to the Congress to even talk about Jackie Robinson 
or to address a special order to the memory of Jackie Robinson? First 
of all, it is so very important, No. 1, so that the young people in 
this country will understand that we have heroes in this country, and 
they are heroes because they worked very hard to bring glory not only 
to their athletic teams but to the glory of this country and to show 
the dominance which great athletic prowess can bring when it is used 
for the good of others.
  That is why it is so significant that from this well we address many 
of our heroes, and tonight I am addressing Jackie Roosevelt Robinson.
  Fifty years ago, that has been quite a long time, Jackie Robinson 
broke major league baseball's color line. He broke the color line. That 
meant that before Jackie there were no African-Americans in major 
league baseball. He broke this color barrier, and he opened up the 
doors that had long been closed to talented African-Americans, not only 
in baseball but in other activities throughout our country.
  This may have been an opening through a sporting event, but it opened 
up many, many doors of opportunity to African-Americans throughout this 
country.

                              {time}  2015

  Jackie Robinson was a respected athlete, a respected gentleman, a 
respected family man. Therefore, Mr. Branch Rickey chose him because he 
represented to Mr. Rickey someone who could take the taunts of the 
public, someone who could be yelled at, someone who could be thrown at, 
someone who could be talked about and still keep his dignity and still 
show his athletic prowess on the field of baseball. He was the first 
black to play major league baseball. He overcame these insults and 
threats. He overcame them with talent and dignity, and he won 
recognition as a great baseball player and great human being.
  That is what is so important about Jackie Robinson. He was not just a 
baseball player. He was not just an athlete. He was not just someone 
with athletic prowess, but he was also a great human being. He 
established an enduring model throughout sports, and he proved to all 
America that character and ability are keys to success, not the color 
of one's skin or not one's athletic prowess. The color of one's skin or 
athletic prowess is not nearly as important as character and ability. 
Because if Jackie had not had all of that, he could not have done what 
he did in the baseball world in this country. No one, not even other 
blacks who soon followed Jackie into the major leagues, could know what 
Jackie Robinson endured in 1947 when he entered major league baseball.
  I had the pleasure of meeting Jackie Robinson in 1947 because he came 
to a small college in Daytona where I worked, called Bethune Cookman 
College, one of the primary good colleges in America today. Jackie 
Robinson came to Bethune Cookman College, and it was said at that time 
that that was the only place in Daytona where Jackie could get living 
quarters or living accommodations. The team was on Daytona Beach, but 
Jackie Robinson had to live at Bethune Cookman, a small black college. 
I say to the Speaker that that is an honor to Bethune Cookman College 
that Jackie Robinson slept there because of what he has done and what 
he has brought to this country.
  So, then, he took a lot of abuse, occasional physical abuse as well 
as mental abuse, but he absorbed this abuse. Nor was it the early 
hostile attitude of some of his own teammates that was shown. I 
understand a little guy by the name of Pee Wee Reese was very helpful 
to Jackie Robinson, to help him bridge this gap and that he reached out 
to Jackie, because he could feel Jackie's problems as he tried to show 
the world that it was not all about just being a good baseball player, 
but being a gentleman.
  Jackie Robinson was no ordinary man. He was a college graduate and 
one who had come from the State of California, his parents having moved 
from the South, and he brought a certain dignity that should have been 
brought. He was sort of a multi-dimensional person. He was not a one-
dimensional person. You could not say that Jackie Robinson was just a 
good baseball player. He internalized much of the fears and much of the 
hate and much of the venom which was thrown after him. It takes an 
extraordinary man to do that and Jackie Robinson did it. He knew what 
he had to do. He knew what it was all about was much more than 
baseball.
  Mr. Rickey knew that as well. That is why he chose Jackie Robinson. 
He knew he had to open doors which had long been closed to talented 
African-Americans, not only in sports but in many other activities. I 
think Jackie Robinson also knew that becoming a great baseball player 
was not his major motive as well, because he knew he was great. He had 
played with the Kansas City Monarchs and he knew that he could play 
baseball. He also knew that there were several other blacks out there 
who could play perhaps even better than he could, but they did not get 
the opportunity. So he knew he had to represent them. He knew he had to 
represent all of these small African-American children who would never 
get a chance for the kind of opportunity he was getting.
  He carried the burden, I tell the Speaker, for the entire race, to 
show all America that blacks could compete not only on American playing 
fields, but also in its classrooms and corporate boardrooms.
  Mr. Robinson's interest in baseball set a new tone for the country. I 
listened to Jackie Robinson's lovely wife on television as the entire 
country is paying tribute to Jackie Robinson, and they asked her did 
she think that Jackie would have done this even if it were not for 
baseball, would he have done it anyway, and she said, yes, and they 
also asked her how did he take the kind of poor treatment he got from 
the fans who were following the game, and she said that Jackie knew 
that he had a challenge and that he had to do this because it would 
help others and he had to prove this to others. So my summary of that 
is Jackie did this not for himself but for others.
  The national sport of baseball and Jackie's interest in it made it 
much easier for football to continue in its integration, and it set a 
model for basketball as well. The glory of Jim Brown and Bill Russell 
are directly connected to Jackie Robinson's sacrifice and efforts.
  I say to the young athletes who come around today, I wonder if you 
know

[[Page H1517]]

that you are standing on the shoulders of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, 
and many of them do not understand it. So it is good that we help 
America understand that if it were not for the strong shoulders of 
Jackie Robinson, they would not be able to do the things they are doing 
today. That is none of them, with no exception, because Jackie Robinson 
handled this task at hand, Mr. Speaker, and it meant much more than 
simply holding his tongue and fists in check on the baseball diamond 
that first year, it meant more than not being able to stay in the same 
hotel, it meant more than that. Jackie could have walked away by 
saying, ``I can't stay in the same hotel as the white players. 
Therefore, I'm going to walk away.'' Or ``I can't say what I want to 
say. Therefore, I'm going to walk away.'' ``I can't throw back the 
threats which they are giving to me. Therefore, I'm going to walk 
away.''
  Jackie knew, even though he could not eat in the same restaurant as 
his teammates, he knew that there was a greater prize that would come 
because of his persistence in playing baseball and opening the doors 
for others. He was a part of a historic task of sweeping a whole lot of 
mental cobwebs from the minds of millions of white Americans and many 
black Americans who did not realize that this could happen. Many of 
them were probably unaware of their own bigotry and racism, and it was 
not until Jackie came along and they could see and hear the taunts that 
he was receiving and they could see how he received it with the 
calmness and sincerity of a man who is a true gentleman. His discipline 
and restraint were as crucial to the larger cause of black advancement 
in that first season as his aggressive assertion of his rights was to 
black respect in later years.
  I do not want anyone to think that Jackie was just a doormat or a 
carpet. He was not that kind of a man. Quite naturally his success was 
on the baseball diamond, but that success also reached out into the 
world and helped other people have opportunities to enter things that 
African-Americans could not before. By Jackie playing and taking those 
kicks and taking those taunts, he encouraged the Brooklyn Dodgers 
to employ other black players. I remember how we used to just run to 
the radio, when many of us did not have televisions during those days, 
just to see Jackie Robinson run, and to see him run the baselines, Mr. 
Speaker, was beauty in motion, and it was the kind of physical 
endurance and the kind of physical prowess that so few people have and 
how he could dance off third base and make them throw the ball and he 
ran beautifully into home plate.

  In turn, the success of the Dodgers encouraged competing 
organizations to reevaluate their color lines. And when I say Jackie 
Robinson opened up these color lines, not only for baseball and for 
major league sports but he opened it up for other kinds of color lines 
that were already there. Step by step, new models emerged and 
resistance weakened to equal opportunity. So he was Mr. Equal 
Opportunity and he should be recognized 50 years after the time when 
this happened.
  I have heard the story of a baseball executive who believed that the 
hiring of Robinson would sink the Brooklyn Dodgers, and I remember how 
Mr. Rickey explained it to Jackie, as the type of person he would need 
to do this. Of course Jackie, being a very educated and a very 
articulate man, was able to converse with Mr. Rickey as to what his 
fears were, the fact that he had the kind of courage and behavior to do 
this. Soon after, Mr. Rickey agreed that Robinson would work out fine. 
He went to the other leaders in the Brooklyn Dodgers. But three black 
Dodgers people felt at that time would sink the Dodger franchise, and 
they thought that if three would sink the Brooklyn Dodgers, five would 
destroy the National League and eight would demolish the entire sport 
of baseball.
  Now you say, ``Well, Carrie, that's ridiculous, how could anyone 
think that African-Americans would sink a sport that was so greatly 
attuned in the American system as baseball''? But people did think that 
at that day and at that time.
  By the end of 1947, the Dodgers had signed 16 black players. America 
understands that at that time there was a black league of baseball 
where very good players were there playing baseball, and they had a 
very good organization, and the major leagues were beginning to look at 
these black leagues and think of it, why not integrate some of them 
into major league baseball because they had the ability to play. So 
this opened up some of these players in the black leagues, and history 
is replete with stories about what happened in the black league and how 
good these players were also.
  So then the farm teams began to look at baseball, and began to look 
at the black leagues and they began to bring people up. In the American 
League, the Cleveland Indians brought up Larry Doby, who was an 
outstanding outfielder at that time. He became the league's first black 
player, another opening brought on by Jackie Robinson.
  By 1949, 56 black players had been signed by big league 
organizations. And by 1950, 5 major league teams had been integrated, 
to just show you the domino effect of a man like Jackie Robinson 
opening the doors 50 years ago.
  By 1953, 7 teams were integrated. And by 1959, every major league 
baseball team had been integrated. Think of it. This was all because of 
the efforts, and all because of the persistence and all because of the 
respect that Jackie Roosevelt Robinson had.
  He was liberated from passivity. Robinson assumed a very aggressive 
role. He was not there just to be a body or just some kind of baseball 
symbol but he was there to do his very best, to be a leader. He was 
aggressive, and the Brooklyn Dodgers followed Jackie Robinson. He 
fought back, not only against opposition base runners but against old 
patterns of racial segregation in hotels, restaurants, and stadium 
facilities. At the deepest level of significance, baseball's modern 
movement began with Jackie Robinson's assertion of himself, not only as 
a participating player but as an aggressive player on field and off. He 
could not have done it on field alone, it had to be off.
  He not only changed baseball, Mr. Speaker, he changed America. Just 
try imagining baseball today without athletes of color. They help to 
make up this sport which is so, I would think, indigenous of our great 
country. Think of baseball without Henry Aaron, without Mo Vaughn, the 
current Boston Red Sox player who wears Jackie Robinson's No. 42 as a 
tribute. That is saying something for Mo Vaughn, to wear Jackie 
Robinson's No. 42. It is a very large shirt to fill.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, this special order has been one in which 
I have tried to help America understand the significance of Jackie 
Roosevelt Robinson, particularly black Americans, particularly young 
black Americans who may not have heard of Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, 
and how he broke the bounds of color in 1947. It is said that 
extraordinary lives often reveal extraordinary traits. Jackie Robinson 
had extraordinary traits. He was born in 1919 in Cairo, GA, the heart 
of the segregated South. His family migrated to California when he was 
4 years old.
  This whole legacy of Jackie Robinson is one that we can all take a 
lesson from. He crammed a whole lot into his 53 years, and he left a 
legacy of accomplishment. He left a legacy of perfection and accuracy, 
of acclaim, controversy and influence that has been matched by very few 
Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I declare that Jackie Robinson performed an historic 
breakthrough which has helped every American, black Americans included, 
to really come into what America is all about, and that is equal 
opportunity for all.
  Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana.
  Mr. TAUZIN. I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I want 
to congratulate her for this special order and associate myself with 
her wonderful comments tonight.

                              {time}  2030

  You spoke of the extraordinary person that Jackie Robinson was and 
what an extraordinary contribution he made to our country and to the 
more open society that we enjoy today. That legacy continues, as you 
know, in the beautiful performance just this weekend of a young man 
named Tiger Woods. The Masters is another great example of 
breakthroughs in our society. That young man took a moment

[[Page H1518]]

to think about those who preceded him and opened doors for him and the 
grace and skill that he exhibited at the Masters Tournament I think is 
also a part of that legacy you talked about tonight.
  I just want to congratulate you because an extraordinary tribute to 
an extraordinary man was delivered tonight by an extraordinary woman, 
and I think this House is grateful for your special order tonight.
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. I thank you for your comments, and we are so 
indebted to you as well. Thank you very much, so very much.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee].
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with great joy and 
thanksgiving that I rise to pay tribute and recognize the contributions 
of a great athlete, diplomat, and gentleman, Jackie Robinson.
  The American psyche has been filled with the achievements of Tiger 
Woods as the first African-American to win the Masters golf 
championship at the ripe old age of 21. Over the last few days I have 
seen smiles on people's faces of all ethnicities and races who may not 
share anything else, not even an equal appreciation for the sport of 
golf, but they love a winner, a young winner no matter what his race; 
and Tiger certainly gave us that.
  Few sports fans in America today can imagine a world of segregated 
athletics where barriers prevent people of different races from playing 
together on the field of competition. This was not a policy limited to 
professional sports. It was the norm of the entire American segregated 
society, segregated, isolated from the joy that all of us have felt 
over the last few days at seeing a fresh faced 21-year-old American kid 
make good.
  It is the American dream that our society was robbed of. People 
barred themselves from fully experiencing the pleasure of untempered 
excellence on the field of competition.
  White-only signs littered the landscapes announcing to all who moved 
throughout society that there was a line that should not and must not 
be crossed. However, a colossal event on April 10, 1947 occurred. The 
sport of baseball helped to change the way America thought about the 
issue of race. The instrument of change for that day to this was Mr. 
Jackie Robinson by becoming the first black player to sign a major 
league contract.
  Jackie Robinson was invited across the color line by Mr. Branch 
Ricky, the Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager. Together they made 
history. The Boys of Summer, as Roger Kahn's book refers to the 
Dodgers, made a very mature decision in inviting Jackie Robinson to 
join them. That decision is one that will affect the whole American 
society.
  Mr. Speaker, they all knew that history was in the making and that 
some in their society may not be ready for the new day which would dawn 
the first time a Negro player joined a professional, formerly all-white 
team.

  I would like to congratulate the Houston Astros today, on April 15, 
for they will honor and commemorate with the entire community in 
Houston Jackie Robinson Day. I am told that, as I speak, throngs and 
throngs of inner-city young people will be going to the Astrodome to 
recognize Jackie Robinson and as well to understand that baseball can 
be more than a sport, it can take and be an opportunity to bring all 
together.
  Unfortunately, they were all right that time when they spoke about 
this whole tragedy of segregation. The first game that Jackie Robinson 
played professionally at Ebbets Field after his name was called and he 
joined the other players on the field, the fans did boo him. His new 
friend, Pee Wee Reese, captain of the Dodger team, went over to Jackie 
and placed his arm around his shoulder. Spontaneously, it seemed, the 
rest of the team followed suit by huddling around Robinson and making 
it clear to all that he was a Dodger today, yesterday, and tomorrow 
through and through. That is the spirit that will be in the Astrodome 
tonight with all of the young people from our inner-city and the 18th 
Congressional District with our owner as well, Drayton McLane, 
celebrating, commemorating the first person who broke the color line in 
baseball.
  Jackie Robinson was on the field as the first statement on 
affirmative action, 27 years before it became a public policy goal. It 
was good then, it is good now.
  The pitchers did not throw slower fast balls or straighter curve 
balls when Jackie Robinson went to bat. He earned every one of his runs 
to home base. Most of all, Jackie Robinson was a gentleman. He was 
someone who believed that he could show better by his actions than he 
could by using contrary and adverse actions to rebut those who would be 
racists.
  On June 24, 1947, Jackie Robinson stole home base against the 
Pittsburgh Pirates, helping the Brooklyn Dodgers to win 4 to 2. On 
October 6, 1949, Jackie Robinson scored the only run in the Dodgers' 1 
to 0 victory over the New York Yankees in game 2 of the World Series. 
And on April 23, 1954, Jackie Robinson stole home on the front end of a 
rare triple seal, helping the Dodgers to a 6 to 5 win over the 
Pittsburgh Pirates.

                              {time}  1915

  Jackie Robinson, with his talent, communication skills, and grit, 
spiced with determination, proved that indeed an African-American man 
had the intellectual capacity, physical capability, and spiritual 
fortitude to meet all challenges put before him on the field of 
competition. I believe that Tiger Woods, as he should have, has paid 
homage to the great Jackie Robinson for making that first step of 
American society, for without Jackie Robinson there may not have been a 
Tiger Woods. Jackie Robinson, we appreciate and thank you for your 
efforts on all of our behalf.
  I heard one commentator who said that Tiger Woods was on capability 
what Jackie Robinson was on politics. Both of them were on capability, 
both of them stand as great Americans. I pay tribute to Jackie Robinson 
because he first opened the door to make America great.
  Mr. Speaker, with joy and thanksgiving, I rise to speak on this 
special order offered in recognition of the contributions of a great 
athlete, diplomat, and gentleman--Mr. Jackie Robinson. And I would like 
to thank Congresswoman Carrie Meek for organizing this special order.
  The American psyche has been filled with the achievements of Tiger 
Woods, as the first African-American to win the Masters Golf 
Championship at the ripe old age of 21.
  Over the last few days, I have seen smiles on peoples faces of all 
ethnicities and races who may not share anything else, not even an 
equal appreciation for the sport of golf, but they can love a winner--
no matter what his or her race.
  Few sports fans in America today can imagine a world of segregated 
athletics. Where barriers prevent people of different races from 
playing together on the field of competition. This was not a policy 
limited to professional sports, it was the norm of the whole American 
society. Segregated--and isolated from the joy that all of us have felt 
over the last few days at seeing a fresh faced 21-year-old All American 
kid made good.
  It is the American dream that our society was robbed of, people bared 
themselves from fully experiencing the pleasure of untempered 
excellence on the field of competition.
  White-only signs littered the landscape announcing to all who moved 
through our society that there was a line that should not--and must not 
be crossed.
  However, a colossal event on April 10, 1947, the sport of baseball 
helped to change the way America thought about the issue of race. The 
instrument of change for that day to this was Mr. Jackie Robinson by 
becoming the first black player to sign a major league contract.
  Mr. Jackie Robinson was invited across the color line by Mr. Branch 
Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers general manager.
  ``The Boys of Summer,'' as Roger Kahn's book refers to the Dodgers, 
made a very mature decision in inviting Jackie Robinson to join them, 
that decision is one that would affect the whole American society.
  They all knew that history was in the making and that some in their 
society may not be ready for the new day which would dawn--the first 
time a Negro player joined a professional formerly all white team.
  Unfortunately they were all right. The first game that Jackie 
Robinson played professionally at Ebbets Field after his name was 
called and he joined the other players on the field, the fans booed 
him.

  His new friend Pee Wee Reese, captain of the Dodger team, went over 
to Jackie and placed his arm around his shoulders--spontaneously, it 
seemed, the rest of the team followed suit by huddling around Robinson 
and

[[Page H1519]]

making it clear to all that he was a Dodger through and through.
  Jackie Robinson was on that field as the first statement on 
affirmative action--27 years before it became a public policy goal.
  The pitchers did not throw slower fastballs, or straighter curve 
balls when Mr. Robinson went to bat. He earned every one of his runs to 
home base.
  On June 24, 1947, Jackie Robinson stole home base against the 
Pittsburgh Pirates, helping the Brooklyn Dodgers to a 4 to 2 win. On 
October 6, 1949, Mr. Robinson scored the only run in the Dodger's 1 to 
0 victory over the New York Yankees in game 2 of the World Series; and 
on April 23, 1954 Jackie Robinson stole home on the front end of a rare 
triple steal, helping the Dodgers to a 6 to 5 win over the Pittsburgh 
Pirates.
  Jackie Robinson with his talent, communications skills, and grit 
spiced with determination provided that indeed an African-American man 
had the intellectual capacity, physical capacity, and spiritual 
fortitude to meet all challenges put before him on the field of 
competition.
  I believe that Tiger Woods, as he should have, has paid homage to the 
great Jackie Robinson, for making that first step for the American 
society.
  For without a Jackie Robinson there would not be a Tiger Woods.
  Jackie Robinson we appreciate and thank you for your efforts on all 
of our behalf.
  Baseball player Ed Charles wrote a poem about Jackie Robinson:
  He ripped at the sod along the base path, As he ran advance of a 
base. On his feet were your hopes and mine. For a victory for the black 
man's case. And the world is grateful for the legacy, which he left for 
all humanity. Thanks, Jackie, wherever you are. You will always be our 
first superstar.
  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to rise and pay tribute to a 
great man who not only contributed to the sport of baseball, but one 
who contributed to all of humanity. In both instances, the late great 
Jackie Robinson prevailed and taught the world an important lesson; if 
given the opportunity any man can excel to the greatest heights.
  Jackie Robinson was many things to many people. As father, husband, 
writer, political activist, military man, and of course, baseball 
player; Jackie did it all with ease, dignity, and respect. Jackie not 
only challenged the gentleman's agreement of segregated baseball, but 
he also won a court-martial case for refusing to sit in the colored 
section of an army bus when he was transferred to Camp Breckenridge in 
Kentucky where he later received an honorary discharge.
  The love of his country kept Jackie determined to be the best that he 
could be. In 1947, he signed for $5,000 to play for the Brooklyn 
Dodgers baseball team where he led the National League with 20 stolen 
bases.
  As we celebrate this great man, I personally had the opportunity to 
witness the unveiling of a roadside sign renaming the Interborough 
Parkway in my congressional district, the Jackie Robinson Parkway in 
honor of the 50th anniversary of his first major league game. This 
tribute is well deserved for a man who in his 10 years with the 
Brooklyn Dodgers helped them to win six pennants, to finish second 
three times, and to never finish worse than third.
  Jackie Robinson rests at the Cypress Hill National Cemetery, in the 
10th Congressional District in New York; we will continue to celebrate 
his life by breaking racial barriers and settling our own records of 
achievement.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today, Jackie Robinson played 
first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was the first time that a black 
baseball player took the field with a major league baseball team in the 
modern era. Although he did not get a hit in four trips to the plate, 
he did score the game's winning run. But most importantly, Jackie 
Robinson paved the way for thousands of athletes to follow and gave 
dignity to millions of African-Americans as they struggled in a society 
where segregation was institutionalized in its laws and customs.
  Robinson did more than just break the color barrier in major league 
baseball. He excelled at, and helped redefine, the sport. He was named 
Rookie of the Year in 1947 and had a lifetime batting average of .311. 
Although he played only 10 seasons, he hit 137 home runs, drove in 734 
runs, and stole 197 bases. In 1949, he was named the league's Most 
Valuable Player, and beginning in 1949, he was elected to six 
consecutive all star teams.
  And what makes Jackie Robinson's baseball accomplishments all the 
more remarkable is the fact that many inside and outside of baseball 
tried their best to ensure Robinson's failure. Pitchers threw at him, 
runners spiked him, and opposing teams shouted racial taunts at him. 
Crowds booed him and sportswriters vilified him. But all of this only 
strengthened Robinson's resolve to prove himself on the playing field. 
And prove himself he did.
  But I don't want to focus solely on what Jackie Robinson did on the 
baseball diamond, because his off-field activities and accomplishments 
are what made Jackie Robinson a truly remarkable individual. Given the 
racial abuse Robinson endured as a player, it would have been perfectly 
understandable for him to not get personally involved in the civil 
rights struggle of this country. He could have viewed his breaking the 
color barriers as his contribution to the African-American struggle. 
But as Robinson said in 1964, ``Life is not a spectator sport. * * * If 
you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching 
what goes on, in my opinion you're escaping your life.''

  So after he left baseball, Robinson continued to fight for the rights 
of all Americans. He preached the message that racial integration and 
equality would not just improve the lives of African-Americans, it 
would enrich the Nation. ``Negroes aren't seeking anything which is not 
good for the Nation as well as ourselves,'' Robinson once said. ``In 
order for America to be 100 percent strong--economically, defensively, 
and morally--we cannot afford the waste of having second-and-third 
class citizens.''
  Every American President who held office between 1956 and 1972 
received letters from Robinson expressing his concerns about their 
failure to advance the cause of civil rights as forcefully as possible. 
He made no regard to party affiliation--Democrats were just as likely 
as Republicans to hear from Robinson. Robinson was unapologetic about 
his political efforts:

       Civil rights is not by any means the only issue that 
     concerns me--nor, I think any other Negro. As Americans, we 
     have as much at stake in this country as anyone else. But 
     since effective participation in a democracy is based upon 
     enjoyment of basic freedoms that everyone else takes for 
     granted, we need make no apologies for being especially 
     interested in catching up on civil rights.

  So as we reflect on the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut 
in major league baseball, let us also reflect on what Robinson fought 
for off the field. African-Americans still are under represented in 
many segments of our society, from the front offices of major league 
baseball to corporate boardrooms to the U.S. Senate. Black babies still 
are more likely to die than their white counterparts and black 
motorists still are more likely to be stopped by the police.
  And let's not be patient in our fight for justice and equality. 
Robinson realized that official calls for patience were really calls 
for inaction. After President Eisenhower, addressing an audience at the 
summit meeting of negro leaders, urged patience, Robinson wrote 
President Eisenhower, saying:

       I respectfully remind you sir, that we have been the most 
     patient of all people. When you said we must have self-
     respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain 
     patient considering the treatment accorded us through the 
     years. 17 million Negroes cannot do as you suggest and wait 
     for the hearts of men to change. We want to enjoy now the 
     rights that we feel we are entitled to as Americans. This we 
     cannot do unless we pursue aggressively goals which all other 
     Americans achieved over 150 years ago.

  There is much still to be done in the civil rights struggle. So let 
us follow Robinson's advice and be vigilant and aggressive in our 
fight.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to the 
legacy of Jackie Robinson, whose monumental breaking of the color 
barrier in Major League Baseball 50 years ago we are celebrating this 
spring. I would like to thank the distingusihed gentlewoman from 
Florida, Congresswoman Carrie Meek, for sponsoring this special order.
  As many of us will recognize today, Jackie Robinson's imprint on this 
Nation has been far-reaching, not only as a prominent African-American 
but also as a man who deeply cared about the importance of integration 
and improved race relations in this Nation.
  Jackie Robinson was a man of great courage and character, two traits 
which he showed when he received the call from Brooklyn Dodger 
President Branch Rickey and made his debut for the Dodgers in 1947. 
Despite withstanding the taunts and ill-will of many fans and players 
alike, Jackie proved his mettle and earned the Rookie of the Year 
Award. Over the course of 10 seasons in the big leagues, Jackie amassed 
a lifetime batting average of .311, and led his league in batting in 
1949 and won the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in 1949. 
In 1962, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, 
NY, becoming a member of baseball's most distinguished fraternity.
  While Jackie Robinson will forever be remembered as a Hall of Fame 
ballplayer, his strongly held convictions and advocacy of civil rights 
and improved economic opportunities for African-Americans sets him 
apart as one of our Nation's outstanding citizens of all time.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Speaker, today all of my colleagues from Brooklyn 
joined me to introduce legislation awarding a Congressional Gold Medal 
to Jack Roosevelt Robinson.
  The legislation cites Jackie Robinson's ``enduring contributions to 
racial equality, athletics,

[[Page H1520]]

business, and charitable causes'' as the ample justification for this 
honor. But he would deserve 10 gold medals just for his most famous 
act.
  On April 15, 1947, Jack Roosevelt Robinson changed America forever. 
All he did was walk out onto the grass of Ebbetts Field to play a game 
for a few hours. But those few steps were as important in our history 
as the moonwalk.
  Like the moonwalk, Americans old enough to remember know just what 
they were doing that day.
  And the courage he showed was just as great as the courage of those 
astronauts.
  From the moment Jackie Robinson integrated baseball, he began to 
integrate America too. The next year, the Armed Forces were 
desegregated. The Nation's schools followed a few years later.
  The last time Jackie Robinson stepped to the plate in 1956, America 
was a very different place--and it was on its way to even greater 
changes in the near future.
  The path was never easy, but finally our Nation was forced to 
confront the legacy of racism and the challenges of creating a truly 
united country.
  For Brooklyn, that day in 1947 is an especially treasured moment. We 
are bursting with pride that Jackie Robinson made history right here.
  But in a lot of ways it makes sense that he took that moonwalk there, 
because for the 10 years that he wore number 42 for our Dodgers, he was 
Brooklyn's hero.
  And the reason is simple enough: Jackie Robinson captured Brooklyn's 
heart, because he captured the spirit of Brooklyn. If you are a typical 
Brooklynite, Jackie Robinson represents your dreams, and your vision of 
how you wish you could be.
  There's so much trite talk today about how modern athletes should try 
to be better role models for our kids. But Jackie Robinson never seemed 
to try. He seemed to effortlessly represent all the values that 
Brooklyn aspires to: steadiness and success, toughness and tolerance, 
chutzpah and grace.
  First of all, Jackie Robinson was an all-time great baseball player. 
He richly deserved induction into the Hall of Fame, regardless of his 
role as a racial barrier-breaker.
  Jackie Robinson was no token--he earned his status every day where it 
counted: on the field.
  In that first game, on April 15, 1947, he scored the winning run.
  In his first season, Robinson won Rookie of the Year, led the league 
in base stealing, and batted .297.
  And he kept up that level of skill for a decade with remarkable 
consistency.
  Most fans know that his lifetime batting average was an impressive 
.311.
  But some don't realize how consistent he was. If you look at his 
career averages against lefties or righties, in day games or night 
games, at home or on the road--all these numbers vary from one another 
by only 16 points.
  That kind of steady skill is something the typical Brooklynite always 
aspires to. We want to be good at what we do, day in and day out--
reliable, consistent, accomplished.
  If you ask most people around the country, they also think of 
Brooklynites as tough--and they're right. That's another quality that 
Jackie Robinson shared in abundance.
  He faced taunts and stony silence, brushback pitches and spikings, 
segregated hotels and even death threats. But none of it ever stopped 
him.
  In his first season, he was hit by pitches nine times. But Jackie 
Robinson never charged the mound.
  Instead, he just kept playing great baseball, and he became a hero.
  These are the sorts of challenges and hostility that few of us can 
imagine. It took unbelievable toughness to withstand the pressure.
  But Jackie Robinson had it, and Brooklyn loved him for it. Whenever 
you feel like you're up against the entire world--and Brooklynites feel 
that way a lot--you can get through it if you summon up half of his 
toughness.
  That steely determination was matched by another Brooklyn specialty--
Jackie Robinson had guts.
  On the field, his audacious baserunning made every pitcher nervous 
and revolutionized the game.
  No matter how swift you are, it takes lots of chutzpah to steal home 
19 times, as he did.
  And it took incredible guts to step forward as baseball's racial 
pioneer.
  He knew the challenges when he signed with the Dodgers. Many other 
players would have backed away from such a task. But by all accounts, 
Jackie Robinson accepted the assignment with hardly any reservations.
  Finally, Brooklyn is also one of the most diverse places in America. 
What better place for Jackie Robinson to be a champion of diversity 
than right here?
  The borough is almost 40 percent African-American and 20 percent 
Hispanic. Three out of ten Brooklynites were born in another country, 
and 4 out of 10 Brooklyn households speak a primary language other than 
English.
  There have been some infamous, horrible times when that diversity has 
divided our community in ugly incidents. But much more often, it is a 
point of pride for Brooklyn.
  Jackie Robinson showed us the way to tear down the barriers that 
divide us, and then to draw on that unity as a source of strength.
  He did it before he played ball--as an army lieutenant--when he faced 
a court martial for refusing to move to the back of a military bus. He 
did it after he played ball, when he marched with Martin Luther King.
  Ellen Roney Hughes, who is organizing this year's special Jackie 
Robinson exhibit at the Smithsonian, points out how ``his technique of 
peacefully breaking down the system became a civil rights technique.''
  And she's absolutely right.
  Jackie Robinson's greatest legacy to all of us--whether we're from 
Brooklyn, New York or Brooklyn Park, MN--might be the talent, the 
toughness, and the guts he showed in challenging bigotry with deeds 
rather than words.
  He put it best himself, when he said: ``a life is not important, 
except in the impact it has on other lives.''
  In that case, I'm sure you'd agree that Jackie Robinson's life was 
among the most important America has ever known.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me as a cosponsor of this 
proposal, and thus appropriately honor this incredible life with the 
Congressional Gold Medal.
  Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Jackie 
Roosevelt Robinson, who 50 years ago today broke the color barrier in 
major league baseball.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a baseball fan. Whether it's amateur or 
professional--and particularly when it's Congressional--I have loved 
the game of baseball my whole life.
  Jackie Robinson was one of my earliest baseball heroes, and I was a 
Brooklyn Dodgers fan because of him. When I was a boy, I remember 
running home from school to listen to the Mutual radio baseball game of 
the week, especially for Jackie Robinson and a Brooklyn Dodgers game 
broadcast.
  As a boy, I admired Jackie Robinson as a great baseball player. His 
achievements in 10 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers are still amazing 
to consider: 1947 National League Rookie of the Year, 1949 National 
League batting champion and Most Valuable Player, a .311 lifetime 
batting average, 197 stolen bases, and a 1962 Hall of Fame inductee. 
For baseball fans, these statistics are a marvel. But, Jackie 
Robinson's legacy is so much more significant than great baseball.
  Today, I admire Jackie Robinson as a great man. He bore the full 
brunt of racial prejudice during a shameful period in our Nation's 
history. Robinson was vilified for being the first African-American to 
play and excel in white major league baseball.
  While Robinson's terrific baseball skills soon quieted his racist 
critics, the experience of being the first African-American to 
integrate major league baseball was not easy for him. He suffered snubs 
and insults from players and fans, and endured more than his fair share 
of runners' spikes and brush-back pitches. But he withstood every test. 
And, slowly, but surely, more and more baseball fans began to see past 
the color of his skin and respect Jackie Robinson for the truly great 
baseball player he was.
  Jackie Robinson had a sixth sense about running the bases. He would 
dance off a base, challenge pitchers and taunt catchers--daring them to 
do something about it.
  ``Daring,'' he once said. ``That's half my game.''
  Jackie Robinson's daring smashed racial myths of the day and made him 
a baseball legend in the process. He changed the game of baseball and 
American society forever--leading the way for other African-Americans 
who wanted to play. But, more importantly, he defied racial prejudice 
in America with grace and courage.
  Mr. Speaker, Jackie Robinson was a true American hero. We celebrate 
his baseball talents, but his strength of character and commitment to 
social justice are what we most proudly remember him for today. He has 
a special place in our Nation's history--and in my heart.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on the subject of my special order today, a tribute to 
Jackie Roosevelt Robinson.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lucas). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  
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