"BIRTH OF A NEW SPIRIT IN AMERICA"

A series of essays.....

RACHEL ROBINSON: ENORMOUS  COURAGE AND MORAL INTEGRITY

.....as seen through my eyes!





By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


This is a message for all of the strong women out there; past, present, and future. This is a message about repression and its flagrant use throughout the history of this great nation.

Last evening, after the Nightly News was watched, our daily events discussed, and dinner consumed, we decided to watch Part One of the Ken Burns' documentary entitled Jackie Robinson which we had recorded a few weeks ago.

As the credits rolled, we must have spent another hour, at least, discussing what had recently been unveiled before us. As the Brits might say......, we were gobsmacked by the revelations compiled and brought to the screen by this ingenious documentarist, with kudos reaching out to his daughter, Sarah, in the 'writing' category.

KEN BURNS

I must say that I am always deeply happy when my own research takes me far below the surface and into places that I'd previously only skimmed over, or remembered from college courses.

Last evening we were formally introduced to this truly amazing couple, Rachel and Jack Robinson, via the spirit, wisdom, and talent of Ken Burns. I know that Rachel and Jackie, both strong and caring individuals in their own right, would have marked great strides down their independent paths......however, together they were a powerful partnership that blossomed constantly within the goodness they created and the hate they were forced to endure.

The blatant hatred of the color of their skin.......a fact that often eclipsed the intelligence, sound judgment, and innate talent possessed by this team, should and will be a blight on our society, forever!

There had to be a good reason we waited until now to watch this documentary. Following this past week of violence by and directed towards our police, it was time to stimulate our sense of equilibrium with another solid dose of reality. Life has a way of taking things from one extreme to the other and, eventually, meeting in the middle, if we're lucky.

"Robinson couldn't have done it without his wife, Rachel," proclaims Burns in an interview with Newsweek. "Rachel was his confident, his rock, and his only refuge from the incessant abuse he endured."

Burns was able to highlight the strength behind the relationship of Jackie and Rachel, college sweethearts, in an interview with Barack and Michelle Obama. Their 'journey' has been similar to Jackie and Rachel's. "Jackie is the first to go through a door back then. The president is the first to go through a door, and he's saying (to paraphrase President Obama in the documentary), that when people are giving you shit for stuff that has to do with the color of your skin, it’s good to go home to where people love you and have your back."

RACHEL AND JACK ON THEIR FIRST DATE

Rachel would always have Jackie's back! "Home was our place away from the world, and it was central," said Rachel. "We made a point not to talk about every negative encounter that happened. That would have been too much. We treated our home like a haven and when you come into a haven you don't want to bring in painful things. You want to cherish it. You use the haven to get yourself ready for the next day."

Rachel graduated from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in nursing and went on to obtain a master's degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University, according to Wikipedia. Last evening, we saw this beautiful lady, mother of three, constantly protect Jackie's back all through the time when Jackie was breaking baseball's color barrier in 1946 and 1947. Later, with Rachel by his side, Jackie went on to fight for Civil Rights in this country and assist in getting John F. Kennedy into the White House.

Number 42, first baseman and shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie faced adversity from birth: He was born a black man in a white man's world. One of the stipulations he had to comply with as a member of the Dodgers' team was to turn the other cheek when racial hatred came aiming its ugly fist at him. Rachel helped Jackie control his temper and realize exactly why his opportunity/venture into this elite side of baseball was so important to both black and white people alike.

When Number 42 became confronted by racial hatred and bigotry, he defined the moment as the "Birth of a new spirit in America!" He went on to explain that when a white team player defied convention, he was known to possess 'spirit.'  When he, a black player, defied convention, he was noted as 'an uppity n***** or ungrateful.'

Jackie's ability to live a good life with his strong wife and amazing family during this time is a testament to his true spirit. He was an honorable gentleman, family man, and leader who was given exceptional athletic abilities and was able to use them to everyone's advantage. His notoriety as Number 42 helped to launch his career as a Civil Rights advocate and to make his way through new doors as a Black Man who had experienced repression first-hand.

*Fear
*Hate
*Slavery
*Misinterpretation of Religion
*Bullying
*Lack of Education
*Need For Power
*Denial of "All People Created Equal" Under God

*Genuine Lack of Respect For Others
The above are all contributing factors in a world that chooses war over peace, hatred over love, and guns over verbal communication and understanding.

When you can look an adversary in the eyes and say, "I can't treat you right or with genuine respect if I look at you as being inferior to me," you have taken a giant leap in the right direction of understanding racism in America.

Yes, Black lives do matter and should matter to all of us who have never had the color of our skin be a threat to the quality of our life. If Jackie and Rachel Robinson were standing here today, I believe they would say this to all of us who, after so many years, continue to live through these difficult times: "We're all in this together, even if that's not easy."

Greatness, strength, and understanding are ultimately supported from the bottom....up, creating a strong foundation. Respect for others is a right given to all of us at birth. We must never allow others (parents, piers, friends, even high ranking leaders) to take this privilege of equality away from us. Let's teach our children that the color of their skin makes no difference and that we're all equal to one another in this world.

We are eager to absorb Part Two of Jackie Robinson tonight. I will listen, take more notes, and learn from the experience.


Author's Note: Rachel Robinson will turn 94 years young on July 19, 2016. Happy Birthday Beautiful Lady!


Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved