To the average man in the average American community, Jackie Robinson was just what the sports pages said he was, no more, no less. He was the first Negro to play baseball in the major leagues. Everybody knew that. . . . In remembering him, I tend to de-emphasize him as a ball player and emphasize him as an informal civil rights leader. That’s the part that drops out, that people forget. -Rachel Robinson

from Teaching With Documents: Beyond the Playing Field- Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate at the National Archives

Here are some links to provide you with background information on Jackie Robinson before our trip on Friday:

• Jackie Robinson Biography
• Baseball and Jackie Robinson at the American Memory Collection of The Library of Congress
• Jackie Robinson at Wikipedia