15 Chapter 14 Beyond Baseball

Chapter 14 Beyond Baseball The following year, 1956, Jackie was traded to the New York Giants. But Jackie had already decided to retire. He was tired of the travel. He wanted to be closer to his family. Jackie, Jr., was ten, Sharon was six, and David was four. He wanted to be home for dinner. Plus he wanted to devote a lot more time to civil rights. He also became involved in politics. In 1963, he marched in Washington, D.C. with Martin Luther King, Jr.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT ALTHOUGH THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1865) ENDED SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES, MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS STILL DID NOT HAVE THE SAME

RIGHTS AS WHITE PEOPLE 100 YEARS LATER. THEY WERE OFTEN TURNED AWAY FROM GOOD JOBS, FROM BUYING HOUSES IN WHITE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND EVEN FROM VOTING. THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT PUSHED TO STOP THESE INEQUALITIES. THE 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON WAS AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. MORE THAN 250,000 PEOPLE GATHERED AROUND THE REFLECTING POOL NEAR THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT WHERE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., GAVE HIS NOW FAMOUS "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH. ON JULY 2, 1964, PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON SIGNED THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 INTO LAW. IT MADE SEGREGATION IN PUBLIC PLACES ILLEGAL, SPELLING AN END TO THE OLD JIM CROW LAWS OF THE SOUTH.

Jackie, along with his family and thousands of others, held a peaceful protest for equal rights. Dr. King and Jackie admired one another greatly. "He is a legend in his own time," Martin Luther King, Jr., said of Jackie. Jackie was busier than ever. He worked for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He helped found an African American—owned bank. He started a company to build houses for poor families. Jackie kept breaking color barriers: He was the first black vice president of a major American company. He was the first black TV analyst for

major league baseball. Meanwhile, Rachel kept busy, too. She received another degree from New York University and became an assistant professor at Yale University School of Nursing. Mallie Robinson lived to see all these successes. But she collapsed outside her Pepper Street home in Pasadena in 1968. By the time Jackie arrived in California, she had passed away. Jackie gazed at her still face and realized she had died in peace.

Year after year, Rachel and Jackie made a difference in people's lives. But Jackie's health was failing. The same year he retired, doctors told Jackie he had diabetes, a kidney disease. He had heart problems, too. Even harder for him to bear were his son's problems. Jackie, Jr., fought in the Vietnam War. When he returned home, he was addicted to drugs. It took time, but Jackie, Jr., managed to kick his addiction. In fact, he was working as a drug counselor when he died in a car accident. He was just twenty-four years old. That same year, 1972, the nation celebrated Jackie and the Brooklyn Dodgers again. It was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. On October 15, Jackie threw out the first pitch at the World Series. Just as they had before, fans cheered and rose to their feet for Jackie Robinson. It was a glorious moment.