[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 29, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S11370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INDUCTION OF JACKIE ROBINSON INTO NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY'S SOCIETY 
                              HALL OF FAME

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, on October 28, Northeastern 
University will posthumously induct Jackie Robinson into its Sport in 
Society Hall of Fame. As a member of the National Advisory Board of the 
Center for the Study of Sport in Society, I want to make a few remarks 
about Robinson, the Center, and racism.
  Future historians will remember Jackie Robinson as one of the most 
significant individuals in twentieth-century U.S. history. As the first 
African-American to play Major League Baseball in this century, 
Robinson had to will himself to endure horrific abuse from fans and 
fellow players alike. His perseverance in the face of this challenge 
would have made him a memorable player even had he not excelled on the 
diamond.
  But Jackie Robinson did excel. In his distinguished career, he won 
the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. Robinson also 
played a prominent role as a member of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers ball 
club, the'' Wait `Til Next Year' team that finally bested its arch 
rival New York Yankees in a thrilling World Series.
  Recounting Robinson's greatest accomplishments as a player cannot do 
justice to the impact that he had on the game and our nation. His 
daring on the base paths brought the running game back as the major 
style of attack in the National League for the first time in some three 
decades. His success with the Dodgers led to the signing of other 
notable players such as Roy Campanella, Larry Doby, and Satchel Paige.
  His loyalty to the Dodgers ended his career prematurely. Jackie 
Robinson retired rather than play for the San Francisco Giants when the 
Dodgers sold his contract. Imagining Robinson in any uniform other than 
the Dodgers' is like envisioning Cal Ripken wearing New York Yankee 
pinstripes.
  Robinson also led a productive life off the field. A Republican and a 
businessman, Robinson devoted the remainder of his life to civil 
rights, party politics, and urban affairs. He bemoaned baseball's tepid 
efforts at integrating all levels of the great game.
  Sadly, baseball has made insufficient progress since Robinson's death 
almost a quarter of a century ago. In its ``Racial Report Card'' 
released earlier this year, Northeastern's Center gave Major League 
Baseball an overall grade of B, but only a C- for top management 
positions.
  As Jackie's widow, Rachel Robinson, the Center's Director, Richard 
Lapchick, and all of the other excellent employees and friends of the 
Center celebrate Jackie's life, we should all reflect on what we can do 
to honor and build on his legacy.
  Unquestionably, there is a distance yet to go when, for example, we 
have only one African-American general manager in major league 
baseball.
  I send my best wishes to Northeastern University, the Center, and 
Rachel Robinson on this occasion. I hope that all of us will use it as 
a reminder of the work that lies ahead: to realize our objective, which 
was Jackie Robinson's as well, of a society that does not discriminate 
on the basis of race and offers equal opportunity to all.

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