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After two years, Jackie Robinson left UCLA without getting his degree.
He was convinced that no amount of education would help an African American get a job. He also was eager to help his mother financially. For a short time, he enjoyed a job as assistant athletic director at a work camp run by the government’s National Youth Administration (NYA). Soon, however, all the NYA projects were closed. Then, Jackie got a job playing football with the Honolulu Bears. He was headed back to California after his first season with the team when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States was drawn into World War II.
◀ Jackie Robinson was drafted into the segregated army in 1942 and sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, for basic training. He was put into a cavalry unit, in which some soldiers rode horseback. Others operated tanks. After basic training, Robinson applied to Officers Candidate School (OCS). Though he and other African American applicants had passed all the tests, they were not allowed to start school. Nor was Jackie able to participate in sports at the army base, as some white players didn’t want him on a team.
▲ At Fort Riley, Robinson met Joe Louis, boxing’s heavyweight world champion, who had volunteered to serve his country. Louis and Robinson became good friends. According to one story, Louis pulled some strings to force the army to let Robinson and the other African Americans into OCS. Whether or not the story is true, after three months of waiting, the men did start school. In 1943, Jackie Robinson graduated and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
◀ While in the army, Robinson went back to California whenever he could to see Rachel Isum, who was still a student at UCLA. In 1943, after Jackie was made a second lieutenant, they announced their engagement.
▲ Robinson was transferred to Fort Hood, Texas. There, on July 6, 1944, while riding in a bus on the army base, he was told by the white driver to move to the back of the bus. Robinson knew that the military had recently forbidden segregated buses on military bases, so he refused to move. When the driver called the military police, Robinson stood up for his rights. For this, he was accused of being disrespectful and was court-martialed (given a military trial). Ultimately, the charges against him were dismissed. Shortly after, he was given an honorable discharge from the army.
◀ While in the army, Robinson had met someone who played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs, a team in the Negro leagues, and he convinced Robinson to try out. In 1945, the Monarchs signed Robinson. Some of the best players in the leagues were his teammates, including the pitcher Satchel Paige.
Robinson was happy to be playing baseball again, and the pay was not bad. But there were many things he didn’t like about his situation: Schedules were hectic, and teams spent much of the time on the road. While they were traveling, it was difficult to find hotels and restaurants that would accept African Americans. Furthermore, the teams did not play on the West Coast, and Jackie didn’t like being away from Rachel so much. ▶
▲ In 1945, a Boston city councilor threatened to enforce a law. It would forbid the city’s professional baseball teams from playing on Sundays, unless an effort was made to integrate the teams. Under this pressure, the Boston Red Sox invited Jackie Robinson and two other Negro league players for tryouts. They performed impressively, especially Robinson. However, it was clear to the men that they would not be invited to be part of the team.
