Jackie Robinson: Hero

Jackie Robinson was a great athlete. In college he played many sports. He played baseball, football, basketball, and ran track.

After college he did many important things.

But he is best known for being the first African American to play Major League Baseball.

Jackie lived at a time when there was segregation. This meant that black people were not allowed to be with white people.

They couldn’t go to the same schools as white people. They couldn’t sit on the bus with white people.

And for Jackie, segregation meant that he could not play Major League Baseball.

Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, didn’t think this was fair.

Branch had watched Jackie play. He knew that Jackie was strong and tough. So he asked him to play for the Dodgers.