He stood up to racist neighbors and Jim Crow customs, refusing to sit in the segregated section at the movie theater or leave a Woolworths lunch counter until he was served. Once, he was arrested for singing a song that a policeman found offensive.
Another time, an officer, rushing to the scene of an argument to which Robinson was a bystander, pulled a gun on him before knowing who was to blame. As a second lieutenant in the U. Army before signing him to the Dodgers. In these incidents, Rickey saw a man of considerable character who, though strong-willed and defiant, would care enough about succeeding that he would, for a time, suppress his natural impulse to fight back—and during his first few seasons, Robinson mostly did.
But once the place of blacks in the game was secure, it was no longer necessary for Robinson to keep quiet. Throughout his remaining playing days, Robinson used his enormous fame to bring attention to the countless ways in which his world was patently unjust. He criticized umpires whom he believed were treating him unfairly, demanded that hotels provide equal access to him and his black teammates, and accused the New York Yankees of prejudice for failing to promote any black players to their team.
When, during a mid-game birthday celebration for a popular southern-born player, the grounds crew raised a Confederate flag over Ebbets Field, Robinson fumed. The press, many of whom had once praised him for turning the other cheek, took exception to his outspokenness, calling him ungrateful and urging him to be a baseball player, not a crusader. Yes, Branch Rickey, aided by social forces that ripened the climate for integration, ably set it all in motion.
Media coverage focused both on the event and the nonviolence messaging. The U. She was joined by three retired Major League Baseball players, who worked with the national baseball association to hold clinics for kids throughout Romania. At all events the theme of nonviolence was paramount. I did not expect to find baseball in Uganda, but there it was. The Ugandan national association was strong, and their national team almost qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.
This time we designed the program a little differently. It offered a fun way for young people to learn. The top players from the various clinics held throughout the country were invited to a grand finale on Jackie Robinson Day in April. The culminating event was held at an athletic boarding school about an hour outside Kampala.
The site was chosen because of its facilities, but also because the American philanthropist who funds it had recently started a relationship with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Robinson had played for the Brooklyn Dodgers until , and the team then moved to California in to become the L. Their Olympic hopeful national team beat our ragtag band, but the day of healthy, friendly competition was well received. The event was a big success. The Giants, formed , were soon "World's Colored Champions". The Hilldales, Eastern Colored League champions. Won the Colored World Series. The Philadelphia Stars played. Despite the historical marker's placement few, including those living in the neighborhood, understood its significance.
The idea was to make the location a memorial to the great men who had played ball so that all who lived in the community and those that travelled by would understand the significance of the location. In order to bring the idea to life, the Business Association of West Parkside knew that they needed help. Understanding that the Phillies had become committed to sharing the story of the Philadelphia Stars, the Association reached out to and gained the support of the Phillies and by extension Major League Baseball.
The evening was attended by and celebrated the Philadelphia Stars as well as the men who played for Negro League teams across the country. With the funds raised that evening, combined with the financial contributions and the donation of labor hours toward construction, the Philadelphia Stars Negro League Memorial Park became a reality.
Standing at the site is a 7-foot memorial statue that was placed at the corner of Belmont Avenue and 44th Street on April 15, as part of the Jackie Robinson Day celebrations. The statue was sculpted by Philadelphian Phil Sumpter and features a Negro League player holding a baseball bat.
While placed at Memorial Park in April , the statue had been unveiled and dedicated to the Philadelphia Stars on June 18, at the Phillies then home Veterans Stadium. The Philadelphia Stars mural is a collage of Stars players in the midst of baseball action.
What makes the mural more special is that McShane spoke with the living Stars players to understand what it was like to play baseball at 44th and Parkside. This allowed him to capture not just the look but also the feel of what it was like for the men depicted to step onto the field. The documentary, written and produced by Phillies' Director Video Production Dan Stephenson, examines what it was like to be a player in the Negro Leagues. Compiled over 10 years, the documentary features conversations with the Philadelphia Stars, baseball historians and Phillies players.
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