[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[March 2, 2005]
[Pages 346-347]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Gold Medal Posthumously to 
Jackie Robinson
March 2, 2005

    Members of Congress, Mrs. Robinson, 
and Sharon and Dave, Laura and I are honored to be 
with you all as we honor your husband and your dad. Reverend 
Jackson. You know, I figure I'm the 
ninth speaker. [Laughter] I spent a little time in baseball. 
Commissioner, it's good to see you, 
and appreciate the McCourts being here, of the great Los Angeles Dodgers family. 
But a lot of times, the ninth hitter was told by the manager, ``Keep 
your swing short.'' [Laughter] I kind of guess that's what Nancy 
Pelosi meant when I got up here. She said, 
``You are the ninth speaker.'' [Laughter] ``How about keeping it 
short?''
    I'm honored to be here for the--to present the Congressional Gold 
Medal to Mrs. Robinson. It's a great 
tradition of our Congress to honor fantastic and noble Americans, and 
we're doing just the thing today with Jack Roosevelt Robinson.
    You know, he was a great ballplayer. Anybody who follows baseball 
knows how great he was--fantastic statistics, MVP, all the big honors 
you could get. But his electricity was unbelievable. Think about this. 
This is a guy who inspired little 7-year-olds to dream of wearing ``42'' 
and dashing for home in Brooklyn, and a 7-year-old like me hoping to get 
his Topps baseball card, even though I was an avid Giants fan. He was an 
amazing guy. And his story was powerful then, and it is powerful today.
    His story is one that shows what one person can do to hold America 
account--to account to its founding promise of freedom and equality. 
It's a lesson for people coming up to see. One person can make a big 
difference in setting the tone of this country.
    He always fought for what he called ``first-class citizenship.'' 
That's an interesting phrase, isn't it, ``first-class citizenship,'' not 
second-class, not third-class--first-class citizenship for all. As John 
Kerry mentioned, it started in the Army. 
Obviously, it really manifested itself on the baseball field. After all, 
it was Branch Rickey who said he was looking for a man to cross the 
color line who could play baseball and

[[Page 347]]

had the character necessary to do so. Jackie Robinson had both. And 
that's why we're honoring him today.
    I found Martin Luther King's quote about him interesting. I'm sure 
you will too. He said, ``He was a freedom rider before freedom rides.'' 
That's a pretty high compliment, when you think about it. He was--to me, 
it just says courage and decency and honor.
    This son of Georgia sharecroppers was taught by his mother that the 
best weapon against racism was the use of his talent, his God-given 
talent, not to waste a minute, and he didn't. And that spirit, passed on 
from mother to son and now son to family, still lives through the Jackie 
Robinson Foundation. The Jackie Robinson Foundation is a noble cause to 
help academically gifted students of color go to college. I know the 
Dodgers will continue to support that foundation. I hope baseball 
continues to do so as well.
    It is my honor now to join Speaker Hastert and Senator Stevens in 
presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to Rachel Robinson, in the name of her husband, the great baseball 
star and great American, Jackie Robinson.

Note: The President spoke at 3:18 p.m. at the U.S. Capitol. In his 
remarks, he referred to Rachel Robinson, widow of Jackie Robinson, and 
their daughter, Sharon Robinson, and son David Robinson; Allan H. 
``Bud'' Selig, commissioner, Major League Baseball; Rev. Jesse L. 
Jackson, Sr., founder and president, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Inc.; and 
Frank McCourt, chairman, and Jamie McCourt, vice chairman, Los Angeles 
Dodgers.