I was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. I was the youngest of 5 children, and was raised by my single mother. I attended John Muir High School, where I excelled in football, basketball, track, and baseball. I then went on to attend the University of California, Los Angeles. Sadly, just before graduation I had to leave due to financial hardship. In 1942, I served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army for 2 years. In 1944, I married my beautiful wife Rachel Isum and had three children: Sharon Robinson, Jackie Robinson Jr., and David Robinson. In 1945, I played for the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs, where Branch Rickey, President of the Brooklyn Dodgers, discovered me. In 1947, I was the first ever African American to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. During my first season I won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, and helped the Dodgers reach the National League Championship. In 1949, I won the batting title that season with a .342 average. Then in 1956, I retired from baseball and in 1962 I was inducted into the Hall of Fame. During my time of baseball I faced many insults due to my race. In the late 1950s and early 1960s I advocated for equal rights. I also became a strong supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On October 24, 1972, at the age of fifty-three, I died of a heart attack.
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Jackie Robinson with his wife and three kids.
Jackie Robinson in 1956
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Family: