[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8817-8818]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            JACKIE ROBINSON

  Mr. REID. Madam President, in July of 1944, 11 years before Rosa 
Parks became the mother of the civil rights movement, an African-
American second lieutenant of the U.S. Navy was court-martialed on 
charges of insubordination for refusing to move to the back of a 
segregated military bus. Three years later, and 60 years ago yesterday, 
that second lieutenant was insubordinate to bigotry once again--this 
time by breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier. His name was 
Jackie Robinson.

[[Page 8818]]

  When Dodgers owner Branch Ricky brought Jackie Robinson to the Major 
Leagues, many asked: Why Jackie Robinson? After all, the Negro League 
was filled with talented players from whom to choose. Many were much 
younger than Jackie Robinson; some, perhaps, even better athletes. The 
answer, of course, was integrity, character.
  Branch Ricky knew that this trailblazing ballplayer would have to be 
both an athlete and a role model--a role model for African Americans 
and for all Americans--and no one was better suited to that great 
challenge than Jackie Robinson.
  When Jackie Robinson crossed the chalk lines at Ebbitt's Field that 
day, he carried the weight of a nation along with him. On one shoulder 
were the catcalls, obscene gestures, and even threats from fans, 
opposing players, and even some of his own teammates. But on the other 
shoulder were the dreams of Blacks, and all Americans, that our country 
could one day fulfill its destiny of equality in deeds and not just in 
words.
  Jackie's career accomplishments alone would have been enough to earn 
our admiration: Rookie of the Year, 6 All-Star games, Most Valuable 
Player Award, and a World Series championship.
  Yesterday, I was visiting my daughter, and especially my 
grandchildren, here in the Washington, DC, area. I have three 
grandchildren here. My 16-year-old grandchild, Mattie, was going to 
have to give a talk to a group of young people. She said she only 
needed to talk for a couple of minutes. What could she talk about?
  I said: Mattie, why don't you talk about Jackie Robinson? Tell them 
what a great athlete he was. But he isn't known today because he was a 
great athlete and stole home more than any other baseball player and 
did all the great things athletically; he is famous today because of 
his integrity. So that is what Mattie spoke to her friends about.
  Jackie Robinson is now a legend. He taught a generation of African-
American children that they, too, must be, on occasion, insubordinate 
to injustice whenever they find it, whether on a bus or on a ballfield 
or in a board room. Sixty years later that lesson still rings true, 
from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and every town and city in between.
  America is a better place because of the integrity of Jackie 
Robinson.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The minority leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, when I was a youngster, I became a 
fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers for two reasons. One was because of Jackie 
Robinson. The distinguished majority leader was just referring to his 
history-making appearance in a Major League uniform for the first time. 
The other was for a Louisville teammate of his named Pee Wee Reese. He 
was the one who made, really, a kind of public display of welcoming 
Robinson amid some of the boos and catcalls he got in the early games 
when he first played.
  Reese went over and put his hand on Jackie Robinson's shoulder. Since 
he was from the South, I think it was an indication that Robinson was 
certainly going to be accepted by his teammates and by the rest of the 
league shortly thereafter and certainly ought to be accepted by the 
fans as well.
  It was a period during which the character of people was being 
measured; the character of Jackie Robinson in being willing to take on 
this challenge and tear down this barrier for the first time in 
American history, and the character of those with whom he was going to 
be playing. Would they accept him or would they not?
  It was a great Kentuckian, Pee Wee Reese, who made it clear that 
Jackie Robinson was going to be accepted. It was the beginning of a 
great thing that our country did and, of course, was a breakthrough for 
many of the subsequent developments that occurred over the years in 
improving race relations in our country. We are proud to honor the 
memory of Jackie Robinson.

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