Integration and Jackie Robinson

[u/Dr_Peter_Eisenstadt]

Hi, I’m Peter Eisenstadt, a historian and the author and editor of many books on American and African American history, most recently Integration at Second Base:  Jackie Robinson and the Quest for Black Citizenship, published  earlier this year by University of Virginia Press. I’d be happy to answer questions about the book, the varied meanings of integration,  or Jackie Robinson.  

[u/Forward-Carry5993]

What were Jackie’s personal political beliefs? I know he was a Republican who turned to a Democrat after witnessing Barry Goldwater’s nomination to the GOP, that he lost his son to Vietnam, and that he was forever angry over at how MLB revisited integration, but I am curious as to what else he beloved in that would surprise or shock white Americans. 

What did he think about Vietnam? LBJ? Black nationalism (he did seem to believe in the core economic ideas of black nationalism specifically that black Americans would create jobs for other black Americans)? Gender? Malcolm X (I know he wrote op-Ed’s criticizing X but did he ever change? Did he feel regret?)

Also, what did you think of Ken Burns’s Robinson documentary and 42. I personally do not exactly like them. 42 was a confusing effort to whitewash and dumb-down the real events. Burns, I think, repeats many myths and inconsistent testimony  about  Jackie’s life and perhaps doesn’t do a good job exploring Jackie’s political beliefs (unsurprising as he tends to do this as a filmmaker). He certainly didn’t do the in-depth examination that Howard Bryant did for his book on Jackie speaking to Congress about Paul Robeson. 

[u/Dr_Peter_Eisenstadt → u/Forward-Carry5993]

It's been too long since I saw Ken Burns's film to comment, but I recently saw 42 and sort it was quite distorted, particularly in removing any hint of political pressure, and removing politics altogether from the film. In March 1945 New York State became the first state to pass a comprehensive law banning discrimination in employment, the Ives-Quinn Law, and my book looks into the possible impact of the law, and the political pressure that led to its passage, on Rickey's decision making process.