Spike Lee: Jackie Robinson Is the Greatest American Ever

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Spike Lee: Jackie Robinson Is the Greatest American Ever​

Feb 28, 2023

By Spike Lee

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In my unhumble opinion, Jackie Robinson is the greatest American in history/herstory. I met him only once. It was in his later years, at a Long Island University basketball game, which was played at what used to be the Paramount Theatre, where Frank Sinatra sang to thousands of Bobby Soxers, at the corner of DeKalb and Flatbush, across the street from Junior’s cheesecake, in the People’s Republic of Brooklyn, New York.
During halftime, my Father pushed me toward Jackie, whose head was full of gray. At first I couldn’t believe this man was the great Jackie Robinson. I went up to him and said, “My name is Spike Lee and I know who you are.” His big hand swallowed mine. Jackie said, “Young fella, do you play baseball?” I answered, “Yes, sir.” Jackie said, “What position?” I quickly answered, “Second base.” “So did I!” Jackie shot back. After that, my Father taught me how Branch Rickey signed Jackie to the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color barrier.

“Dem Bums” were the favorite team for Black Folks, even the ones who didn’t know about baseball. They said their prayers every night on bended knee that Jackie would get a hit. They knew a lot—maybe everything—was riding on this. The advancement of The Negro Race. No African American had more pressure on him/her to succeed than Jackie. OK, you may throw President Barack Obama in there, but if Jackie had failed “the Great Experiment,” would Obama be the First Black President? Jackie’s failure would have set Black Folks back for many generations afterwards. Martin Luther King Jr. said himself, “without him I would never have been able to do what I did.” He was a Sit-Inner before Sit-Ins. A Freedom Rider before Freedom Rides.
Lee in February with a game-worn Robinson jacket and two TIME covers—Robinson on the right—he displays at his Brooklyn office<span class=copyright>Braylen Dion for TIME</span>

Lee in February with a game-worn Robinson jacket and two TIME covers—Robinson on the right—he displays at his Brooklyn office


The deal Jackie made with Branch Rickey was that no matter what, he couldn’t fight back. NO MATTER WHAT. Imagine the pressure. The entirety of African American progress is on your shoulders. The thing I feel kept the great Jackie Robinson safe and grounded is Rachel Robinson, who just turned 100 years young. She was his Rock. She knew the Hell he was going through, especially in 1947, the year of his major-league debut and of his TIME cover, a cover that now hangs in my office—before Rickey signed other Black players like Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. This strong Black Woman stood by his side and loved him. I have gotten to know Ms. Robinson over the years. She is the definition of GRACE. She reminds me of my Grandmother Zimmie Shelton; she lived to be 100 years young too. These Black Women, pillars of our communities, stood by their Men, who, under the tyranny of White Supremacy in this country, were denied their manhood. Our Grandparents and Parents, these Warriors, did what W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, with their different ideologies, championed: Uplift the Race.

When I was writing my original screenplay for Do the Right Thing, I knew I had to honor Jackie Roosevelt Robinson in this third Spike Lee Joint. Mookie proudly wore Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers home jersey, number 42. Major League Baseball retired Jackie’s number 42 in 1997; my question is: What took them so long?
Lee is a writer, director, and producer
 

WTFisWallace?

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I’m not trying to shyt on Jackie Robinson, I most likely could not do what he did and resisted what he did. Salute and much respect to him.



However, Spike is kinda wild for this, specifically the part about Branch Rickey looking for a great black player that would not fight back.

That same type of ideology is probably how the whites that called upon Jackie Robinson to testify against/undermine Paul Robeson felt.

The pattern of white people/media elevating or historically recognizing black folk who (courageously) endured violence, discrimination, and demeaning acts ay the hand of their white neighbors, co-workers, and media…in “civil” ways irks me. And it’s always addressed in a passive tone. “What Bill Russell had to go thru” “What Bill Russell had to overcome in his time”…..which in a way leaves out the white population as active actors in what and why Bill Russell and em had to ‘overcome’.

And they’re always an undercurrent of…the way Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell did it was the “right” way. As if the rightfully angered and more colorfully outspoken resistance (and reaction) of their counter parts was wrong.




(The Branch Rickey, Jimmie Johnson/Zellenberger glorifications as groundbreakers of color lines has always been slightly annoying to me. I don’t think super negatively of any of them….but it was to their advantage to acquire black (on the field) talent. And that black talent in turn makes them all time greats in their position….simply cause they’re the ‘first to the scene’ ….but then they also get credit as essentially borderline activist. :stopitslime::comeon:. Yea, it’s gotta be real tough to think ‘these ******ss Kobe, Shaq, and Walter Payton can really scoot…I should put em on our team, it’ll be great for the game’ I would say that’s some bare minimum shyt they get get applauded for…but it’s below the minimum of human decency.)
 

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@WTFisWallace?

Respect your opinion, but disagree with some of it. From the comfort and safety of the 2020s, it might be easy for us to take for the granted the things that moved the needle to push this country forward socially and legally in terms of integration. The steps it took to get from THERE to HERE.

The Civil Rights activists during and after Jackie Robinson's debut and career mention how much it moved the needle. All of the "firsts" and pioneers in different fields had tremendous pressure on them to succeed.Mr. Robinson wasn't the best player in the Negro Leagues, but he was deemed the most suitable to succeed in such a harsh racist environment. Being a pioneer is never easy, but ultimately he succeeded. Other players got an opportunity to play in MLB because of him, and it incrementally pushed American society forward. His actions brought about change, the definition and goal of activism.

It took a personal toll on him, and it wasn't a surprise that he died relatively young.
 

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Jackie Robinson did great and I know it is a celebration of his life....and I cannot hold a candle to his sun
But
If I was to pick the Greatest American Martin Luther King Jr no doubt about it...John Horse coming in second place
Greatest African American sportsman of all Time Hands down Muhammad Ali....... with Paul Robeson running an Extremely close second almost a dead heat/tie
 

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Cued


04/17/25
John Ullyot, the Pentagon’s top spokesman for the first two months of Donald Trump’s administration, has resigned his position.

Ullyot had been at the center of the scandal surrounding the removal of baseball great Jackie Robinson’s biography from the Department of Defense’s website.


“I made clear to Secretary [Pete] Hegseth before the inauguration that I was not interested in being number two to anyone in public affairs,” Ullyot told Politico in a statement on Wednesday.

“Last month, as that time approached, the Secretary and I talked and could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DOD.

“So I informed him today that I will be leaving at the end of this week.”

Ullyot, 56, said that he had initially consented to take on the role of press secretary on an acting basis but had been sidelined after being replaced by combat veteran and former congressional candidate Sean Parnell in February. After that, he was unable to agree on a new permanent position.

After stepping aside and moving into a “special projects” role, Ullyot attracted unwelcome attention in March by defending the Pentagon’s controversial decision to remove a webpage recounting the U.S. Army career of Robinson, the first Black man to play in Major League Baseball.

A Hall of Famer, Robinson broke baseball’s racial barrier when he made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Asked by ESPN about the removal of the tribute page, Ullyot issued a statement declaring, “DEI is dead at the Defense Department.”

The administration praised the “rapid compliance” with its request that it remove articles on Robinson, the Navajo Code Talkers, and Native American Marine Ira Hayes, who helped plant the Stars-and-Stripes on Iwo Jima during the Second World War.

Jackie Robinson, a Hall of Famer, broke baseball’s racial barrier when he made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947



Jackie Robinson, a Hall of Famer, broke baseball’s racial barrier when he made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 (AP)
Uproar over the comments forced him to quickly issue an updated release reading: “Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others – we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop.

“We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission, like every other American who has worn the uniform.”

Ullyot was also responsible for the recent revamping of the department’s press shop, which saw workspaces denied to well-established but “mainstream” publications and assigned to conservative outlets like Breitbart and One America News Network instead.

A Marine Corps veteran himself, Ullyot played a senior communications role in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. He then served as head of communications at the National Security Council during his first administration and as assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

His departure comes amid a disastrous week for the Pentagon, which has seen three staff members placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into press leaks.

Hegseth and his team are also still reeling from last month’s “Signalgate” furore, in which Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat in which top security officials discussed a bombing raid on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
 
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