MONTREAL, 1946—Until
1946 organized baseball was
lily-white from the lowest
class Minor leagues all the
way to the Majors. Gifted
black ball players Hike Satchel
Paige and Josh Gibson toiled
in the Negro Leagues. denied
their chance to compete
against the Dizzy Deans and
Babe Ruths.

The war against Nazi
racism forced Americans to
confront racial injustice ia the
United States. Finally. it
seetned that Americans might
be ready to integrate the
nation’s favorite sport,

But someone had to take
the first step. During the war
Branch Rickey, the contro-

JUDITH ANDERSON

Robinson breaks the color barrier |

versia! General Manager of
the Brooklyn Dodgers, had
instructed his scouts through-
out the United States and the
Caribbean to Jook for tdlented
black players.

Rickey'’s muiives were
complex. He explained that:
“couldn't face my God
much longer knowing that
His black creatures ure heid

* seperate and distinct from His

white creatures in the game
that has given me all f owa.”
However, he also knew that
black stars coutd help his
Dodgers win pennants, and
that black fans would buy
lickets to watch them do it.
Rickey realized that the
first black player would have

to be more than just a talent-
ed athlete. He would need to
be self-assured, of impecea-
ble character. and store
enough to ignore the racial
taunts of opponents. Tis
search led him to Jackie
Robinson

Robinson grew up in Los
Aageles where his mother
fought against wliite neigh:
bors who didn’t want blicks
living in the neighbourhoad.
The first four-letter nian at
UCLA he played football,
basketball, track and baseball.
fn fact. basebali was ane of
his lesser sports. Nonetheless,
by one report: “Had it not
been for the policy prohibit-
ing Negroes in organized

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baseball. he would have been
sought by half a dozen majer
league scouts.”

Branch Rickey admired
Rebinson’s strength and
courage. On August 28,
1945, Branch Rickey signed
Robinson to play for the
Montreal Royals -- the
Brookiyn Dodgers” tap firm
club. Canada was not without
racial prejudice. However, as
one Montreal Sportswriter
observed: “The absence here
of an anti-Negro sentiment
among sports fats... was
what Mr. Rickey doubtless
had mn mind when be chose
Montreal as the locale of his
history-making experiment”

Indeed, unlike the United

DELIGHTFUL NORGATE

States, where Robinson faced
jeers and insults and the occa-
sional threat of violence.
Montreal was delighted wath
ith new player. One
Pittsburgh correspondent was
amazed: “On the streetcar, on
the way home from the stadi-
um. Jackie is surrounded by
admirers v0 In restaurants,
Jackie's food gets cold, He's
too hasy signing aufogzaphs.”

Robinson proved his
worth in Montreal. He led the
league in hitting and cuns. He
finished second in stolen
hoses. and recorded the high-
est fielding percentage of any

International League second °

baseman. That year, Montreal
won the Lite World Series

| $282,500 |

= Minor League Baseball's
most coveted championship.

The following season.
Jackie look his place on the
Brooklyn Dodgers ~- inte-
gvating the Majors for the
first tine. In his first season,
Jackie finished second in the
league in-cuns scored and first
in stolen bases.

Jackie Robinson's desex-
regation of baseball helped
pave the way to the integra-
tion of restaurants, buses and
schools, This an important
step in the American civil
rights movement was uiken ia
Canada,

The above arsicle was
written for the CRB

Foundation Heritage Project. |

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