Educator Resources

Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate

PHOTOGRAPH
JACKIE ROBINSON AND SON (DAVID)
BEING INTERVIEWED AT THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
AUGUST 28, 1963


Robinson, proud of being black, challenged racial pretensions throughout his life. As a child he fought with rocks against taunting neighbors; as an adolescent he went to jail for a traffic altercation involving a white motorist; and as a college star in four sports, he took no guff from race-baiting competitors. As an Army lieutenant, he so resisted efforts to make him move to the back of a southern bus that he eventually faced court-martial proceedings (where he was found innocent); and as a ball player, he railed against teams and individuals he believed to be racist. This vigilance against racial wrongdoing was a legacy he wanted to pass on to his children--to be willing to stand up for what they believed and to lawfully press for their rights as full-fledged Americans who happened to be black.

 

Jackie Robinson and son David being interviewed at the March on Washington, 1963
Click to Enlarge

National Archives and Records Administration
Records of the United States
Information Agency
Record Group 306

 


 

Top