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On January 31, 1919, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on a plantation near Cairo, Georgia. His grandparents had worked there while they were enslaved.
His parents, Mallie and Jerry, were sharecroppers. They farmed land owned by someone else and kept a small share of the crops.
Jackie’s parents split up soon after he was born. Mallie took Jackie and his four older siblings to Pasadena, California, for a chance at a better life. Several of Mallie’s relatives came with them. Jackie grew up in the middle of a loving family. However, they lived in a mostly white area that didn’t welcome the few African Americans who moved in.
▲ Jackie was an average student. He was more interested in sports and having fun. He and some friends formed the Pepper Street Gang. They never did anything violent, but they got into trouble. Sometimes they hid on a golf course and picked up balls that landed near them. Then they’d sell the balls back to their owners. Besides Mallie, two people kept Jackie from getting into real trouble. One was an auto mechanic who gave Jackie a strong talk about thinking for himself. The other was a young minister at the Robinsons’ church, the Reverend Karl Downs. He made it fun to be part of the church youth group. All his life, Jackie Robinson had a strong belief in the power of prayer, and trust in his Maker.
◀ Mallie Robinson worked as a servant for a white family. After a few years, she and another relative bought a house at 121 Pepper Street. The family called it the Castle, because it protected them from the unfriendly world around them. The Robinsons’ white neighbors didn’t want an African American family on the block. Even so, in time, most were won over by Mallie’s kindness and generosity.
▲ Jackie had three older brothers and one older sister. This 1925 photo shows Mack, Jackie, Edgar, Willa Mae, Frank, and their mother, Mallie (seated). Jackie was amazed by Mack’s athletic ability. But he was closest to Frank, who always watched over his younger brother.
During the 1920s, Pasadena was seen as the richest city in the U.S. It was the home of the Rose Bowl and the Tournament of Roses parade. However, like most places in the U.S. back then, the city was full of racism. When a new public swimming pool opened, it was for whites only. After protests, Pasadena set up a weekly International Day, when anyone could swim. But the city told its white citizens that afterward, the pool would be drained and cleaned. ▶
◀ Mack Robinson was also a great athlete. In 1936, the Robinson family gathered around the radio to hear the Olympics broadcast from Berlin, Germany. Mack was part of the gold medal–winning relay team. He also won a silver medal in the 200-meter dash. He came in second to the famous Jesse Owens. But their joy turned to sadness when Frank Robinson died in a motorcycle accident in 1939.
◀ In high school, Jackie Robinson was a star quarterback on the football team. He also played baseball, basketball, and tennis. Plus, he set records in track. He continued his athletic career at Pasadena Junior College for two years. Then he went to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). There, he won letters (given for outstanding performance) in baseball, basketball, football, and track. When Jackie was a senior at UCLA, he was named the best all-around athlete on the West Coast.
At UCLA, Jackie met Rachel Isum, who was studying to be a nurse. Before long, he knew that she was the woman with whom he wanted to spend his life. ▶
