42 Today

Long before the Supreme Court struck down segregation in public schools and Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, Jackie Robinson stepped onto the field at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. That debut made him the first African American to integrate Major League Baseball in the twentieth century. He became a national figure, but he was a man of contradictions who lived in a society that alternately applauded and reviled him.

Most people know Robinson as a sports hero, far fewer understand the private anguish that came with his trailblazing role. This collection gathers sharp essays from sportswriters, cultural critics, and scholars. The contributors examine Robinson's views and influence on civil rights, athletics, faith, young people, and nonviolent protest, and they offer a closer look at the hardships and resilience of an athlete whose talent and political importance made him one of the country's most significant public figures.

The volume opens with a foreword by celebrated directors and producers Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon. Together, the contributors reassess Robinson's place in history and trace how his example set a precedent for later civil rights activism, from the Black Lives Matter movement to Colin Kaepernick.