In 1919 Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born to a large family of four siblings and a mother. He was in the army for a couple years and then dropped out. He went to UCLA and won four letters in varsity sports. He played one season with the Kansas City Monarchs Negro League Baseball, and was then drafted to the Brooklyn Dodgers by Branch Rickey. In his first year with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had 12 homers, 29 steals, and was claimed Rookie of the Year. He played baseball from April 15, 1947 - October 10, 1956, and in 1962 he was conducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He later died of a heart attack on October 24,…
Saying farewell to someone you have met or have been watching for years can be hard to let go. In this paper I will be talking about the day that Lou Gehrig says his farewells to his fans. Even though we say our farewells to our favorite football, baseball, or basketball it isn’t the end of the road for them.…
Being a state representative in the United States is a great position of power where you are in charge of listening to your constituents and solving the issues in your community by expressing their thoughts and concerns. When you become a State Representative you become the voice of the people.…
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Harris (1915–1959) was an African American jazz singer and songwriter. Her singing style, strongly inspired by jazz musicians, lead to a new way of using word choice and rhythm. A critic named John Bush once wrote that Holiday "changed the art of American pop vocals forever." She only co-wrote a few songs, but a number of them have become jazz standards that many musicians strive to live up to. Some of these standards were set by songs of hers such as "God Bless the Child", "Don't Explain", "Fine and Mellow", and "Lady Sings the Blues". She also became famous for singing "Easy Living", "Good Morning Heartache", and "Strange Fruit", a protest song which became one of her standards and was made famous with her…
The lady that sings the blues was known as Billie Holiday or Lady Day to many. Billie Holiday was the greatest female jazz singer in American history. Billie started out as a young girl who, like her idols of Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong turned whatever material she was given into a piece of art of her own. Billie Holiday stated “I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That’s all I know.” Billie Holiday sang as if she knew her music had so much emotional power that she had to distance herself from it…
in his periodical, Jackie Robinson: How one man changed baseball... and the World, he talks about Jackie 's career as a baseball player and quotes "In 1947, Jackie began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the first black player in the major leagues" (Damio 13-14). during this time period was when segregation was going on and Jackie being the first black player in the major leagues showed many people that it 's not about what color you are it is all about talent. Jackie inspired many young African American adults that there was hope to excel in the sport that they love to play and strive to play for a living and get…
Many of us don’t know how deadly it can be sometimes! ALS which is short of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is not the disease you want to catch. Well known as the Lou Gehrig it’s a fatal disease that on average people live two to five years. The Effects of ALS often times can not be the most pleasant and affects the body quickly. Lou Gehrig was a baseball legend and was one of first famous people back in the day to get the disease. It’s a deadly disease!…
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life” (“Muhammad Ali Quotes”). This quote is from the world’s most famous boxing champion, Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali didn’t just show courage within the boxing rink; he also showed courage outside the rink that affected him and the world. Muhammad Ali was opposed to the U.S. war in Vietnam and that caused him to be stripped of his Heavyweight Champion Title, he was banned from boxing for 3 years, he was convicted of draft evasion, and so much more. Muhammad Ali also changed his original name because it was a slave name and it was against his religious beliefs. Muhammad Ali is a big inspiration to me. I can relate to his determination that he has with his sport and…
Jackie Robinson took a great leap in breaking color barriers in America. He was the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the 20th century. It all started after Jackie was signed on with the Montreal Royals, the top farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers, by Branch Rickey. Jackie led the Royals to victory in the Little World Series with 40 stolen bases and a batting average of .349. Afterward Robinson was chased by mobs of white and black fans. Though there were those who loved Jackie, there were others who resented him and all he was doing in the Major leagues.…
The incident with Lil Wayne and Emmett Till really got me concerned about this generation and since this is the month of February, which is Black History Month, what better time for me to actually talk about it.…
Because Jackie Robinson was one of the first American baseball player, he paved the way to break the color barrier. First, 71 years ago Jackie Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. “On April 18, 1946, Jackie Robinson broke organized baseball’s color barrier with a characteristic bang” (Sailer 38). This quote tells us that he broke organized baseball’s color barrier on April 18, 1946 with a bang. Second, Jackie Robinson helped the Dodgers greatly in his first season. “At the end of the season he won rookie of…
African-Americans faced many inequalities in America which made many conduct the black civil rights movement to achieve justice and equality. Racial segregation was a system the white Americans put in place to keep African Americans to a lower social status, denying them equal access to public facilities, and keeping them separate from whites. During the era of slavery, most African Americans were in the South rural areas. In that time segregation wasn’t necessary as the boundaries between the whites and the slaves were clear. After the civil war, white supremacy was threatened. In 1865 slavery was abolished and the fourteenth amendment was changed in 1868 to extend citizenship and equal protection of the law to African-Americans. In 1883 the supreme court of the United States declared the statute unconstitutional for regulating. Racist government took hold in the South while the Federal Government had minimalized its strong enforcement of black civil rights. With white controlled government back in…
The struggle for equality has been a battle fought for hundreds of years amongst African Americans. After the Great Migration and the developments of organizations such as NAACP, many African Americans gradually understood their rights as American citizens and came together to change their lives. The fight was for black citizens to enjoy the civil and political rights guaranteed to them and all other citizens by the U.S. Constitution leading to the civil right movement.…
The Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century was a transformative period in history of America. Through methods of nonviolent protest, leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. worked to challenge the segregation and discrimination facing African Americans. Through the success of the Civil Rights Movement, victories and advances in political, social, and economic equality have been made for not only African Americans, but also women, Asian Americans, and other minority groups in American society.…
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” This was a quote said by Jackie Robinson. He sure did make an impact on many. He helped to lead the way toward equality for black Americans by becoming the first African American baseball player to play in the major leagues. But, he had to go through a lot to get there.…