First Class Citizenship: The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson

by Michael G. Long (Editor)

Never-before-published letters offer a rich portrait of the baseball star as a fearless advocate for racial justice at the highest levels of American politics

Jackie Robinson's courage on the baseball diamond is one of the great stories of the struggle for civil rights in America, and his Hall of Fame career speaks for itself. But we no longer hear Robinson speak for himself; his death at age fifty-three in 1972 robbed America of his voice far too soon.
In First Class Citizenship , Jackie Robinson comes alive on the page for the first time in decades. The scholar Michael G. Long has unearthed a remarkable trove of Robinson's correspondence with--and personal replies from--such towering figures as Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Hubert Humphrey, Nelson Rockefeller, and Barry Goldwater. These extraordinary conversations reveal the scope and depth of Robinson's effort during the 1950s and 1960s to rid America of racism.
Writing eloquently and with evident passion, Robinson charted his own course, offering his support to Democrats and to Republicans, questioning the tactics of the civil rights movement, and challenging the nation's leaders when he felt they were guilty of hypocrisy--or worse. Through his words as well as his actions, Jackie Robinson truly personified the "first class citizenship" that he considered the birthright of all Americans, whatever their race.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Baseball

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2007

Reviews

[Kelly Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about Jackie and his role in Civil Rights, politics, and business. Lot of parallels today.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Christmas book I was planning on re-gifting but ended up starting and finding Robinson's letters surprisingly engaging. I’ve read enough on the civil rights movement to know that Robinson was very active in it but the letters represent quite an inside view of his involvement. Letters to and from King, Wilkins, Malcom X, Powell, and Bunche, and to and from Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy, Johnson, Humphrey, Bowles, Rockefeller, Goldwater, and others. Robinson worked hard to nurse the liberal wing of the Republican Party, believing, wisely, that African Americans (and the nation) needed a viable two-party option to maintain pressure and build unity for equal rights. A conservative on foreign affairs, Robinson was an independent who worked for Nixon in 1960 and 62, Johnson in 64, Rockefeller in 66 for governor and 68 in the Republican primaries, and Humphrey in 1968 general election. He was a friend to Rockefeller, Humphrey, and Nixon, though he abandoned Nixon when Nixon adopted the “southern strategy”. A principled, single-minded man who didn’t shy from confrontation, Robinson was both willing to challenge friends and battle enemies with blunt assessments of their statements, policies, or alliances. He took on Goldwater and Malcolm X. He urged Rockefeller, Nixon, Kennedy, Johnson, and Humphrey to live up to their promises of support and action on civil rights. The letters are not original in thought or style but they are clear about Robinson’s values and commitments and impressive for that and the blunt courage he brought to his political activism.

[MsBrie]

How i love the New Item Shelf at the library!

This definately passed the random page test

[Larry Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent review of letters that reveal the heart of a devout Christian patriotic civil rights leader who was also a phenomenal baseball player and a man of great courage

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this was not a biography of Jackie Robinson, it was a good depiction as to the life and times of the Civil Rights movement.