JACKIE ROBINSON
(1919–72) “A life is not important except in the impact it has on
other lives," reads the tombstone of Jackie Robinson, the first African
American athlete to play in baseball's major leagues in the 20th
century. By breaking the color barrier in 1947, Robinson made great
strides not only for black athletes but also for all concerned with racial
justice.
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in
Cairo, Georgia, but grew up in Pasadena, California. After
demonstrating exceptional athletic ability during high school and junior
college, he excelled at baseball, football, basketball, and track at the
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and became the first
student at the school to earn four letters in one year. He left UCLA in
1941 and briefly played professional football before being drafted into
the United States Army. During his service, he refused to sit at the back
of a bus and was threatened with a court-martial, but the charges were
dropped, and he was given an honorable discharge in 1945. (...) por favor traduzem para min ​