[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S2334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            JACKIE ROBINSON

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am proud to join Senators Kerry and 
McCain in co-sponsoring their bill to award Jackie Robinson the 
Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his profound and lasting 
contributions to the cause of equality and civil rights in America.
  Jackie Robinson has always been a hero of mine--initially because he 
was the greatest of all Brooklyn Dodgers when I was a young Dodger fan 
growing up six blocks from Ebbets Field, and later because I realized 
how he had changed America forever and for better.
  Jackie Robinson was a peerless athlete who excelled in many sports 
and changed the way that baseball was played. He helped Brooklyn win 
five pennants and one unforgettable World Championship, when we no 
longer had to ``wait till next year.''
  Even more important, he was a courageous pioneer who overcame 
tremendous pressure and prejudice to break the color line in major 
league baseball. It is hard for us today to imagine the obstacles he 
faced back in 1947, when our nation's schools, military, and public 
facilities were all strictly segregated. Overcoming taunts, assaults, 
and death threats, Jackie Robinson played baseball--and played 
magnificently. His grace, dignity, determination, and tremendous 
ability made him a hero to millions of Americans of all races and 
backgrounds.
  Jackie Robinson once said, ``A life is not important except in the 
impact it has on other lives.'' By this high standard, Jackie 
Robinson's life had monumental importance. As Senator Kerry pointed out 
when introducing this bill, Dr. Martin Luther King once said that he 
could not do what he was doing if Jackie Robinson had not done what he 
did. As our nation keeps struggling to realize Dr. King's great dream, 
we can salute Jackie Robinson as one of the fathers of that dream.
  I urge all of my colleagues to honor this great American by co-
sponsoring and passing this bill to award Jackie Robinson the 
Congressional Gold Medal.

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