Heroes, in their words

Jackie Robinson

Sept. 30, 1956, the Dodgers vs. the Chicago Cubs, Dodgers 14, Cubs 15. One more run and the Dodgers win, three strikes, they lose. The next batter is Jackie. People went silent, then the pitcher threw a curve ball. Jackie hit a home run on the board. Who is Jackie? One of the greatest Major League Baseball players of all time.

Jackie Robinson grew up with two brothers and two sisters. His family was poor until he went to college. When he went to college he signed up for baseball, football, basketball and track. After college he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After serving in the Army, he signed up for the Brooklyn Dodgers, a Major League Baseball team, Jackie became the first African-American to be on an all-white baseball team. This helped black people to realize they could play baseball on a white team if they wanted to.