Jackie Robinson Inspired America but Ultimately Lost Faith in American Justice

In 1949, star second baseman Jackie Robinson inspired all of America once again. This time, two years after he became the first Negro to play in the major leagues, Robinson declared his faith in America before the un-American activities committee of the House of Representatives.

Actor and athlete Paul Robeson had declared in Paris on Apr. 20, 1949, that American Negroes wouldn't fight for the U.S. against Russia because they were second-class citizens. The House Committee on Un-American Activities investigated Robeson and called Robinson to censure him.

Robinson was urged not to appear, but Jackie Robinson never feared facing anything or anyone. He struggled with his decision with respect to testifying against Robeson and thought that if he didn't appear, he would damage his career as well as integration.

With the help of Branch Rickey, Robinson said Robeson “has a right to his personal views, and if he wants to sound silly when he expresses them in public, that is his business and not mine . . . . He’s still a famous ex-athlete and a great singer and actor.”

Continuing, Robinson told the committee"...most Negroes—and Italians and Irish and Jews and Swedes and Slavs and other Americans—would act as all these groups did in the last war. They'd do their best to help their country stay out of the war; if unsuccessful, they'd do their best to help their country win the war."

Robinson added that he was an "expert on being a colored American."  He said that he knew what it was like to be a little different from the majority with respect to skin color.

Breaking baseball's color barrier, said Robinson, was only the first step in the transformation of America.

"We're going to make progress in other American fields besides baseball if we can get rid of some of the misunderstandings and confusion that the pubic still suffers from. We can win our fight without the Communists and we don't want their help."

There were mixed feelings about Robinson testifying. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote that he helped his people greatly, while the black newspaper, the Afro-American, ran a cartoon disparaging him.

Robeson refused to comment other than to state "I am not going to permit the issue to boil down to a personal feud between me and Jackie. To do that, would be to do exactly what the other group wants us to do."

Many years later, Robinson wrote that at the time of his appearance before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, he had more faith in the ultimate justice of the white man than he did later in his life. He stated that if asked again, he would refuse to appear.