I am Jackie Robinson | Children's Books Read Aloud

welcome to Jen's business today's story is I am Jackie Robinson written by Brad Meltzer illustrated by Christopher Arielle Poulos I am Jackie Robinson sometimes it's hard to be brief my mother was brave and she liked brave people when I was born the youngest of five kids she even named me after someone green his middle name will be Roosevelt Jack Roosevelt Robinson why roses Oh after President Teddy Roosevelt he fought to make sure black people were treated the same as everyone else that the last four little Jackie deliver that gift you see I'm not worried about having a brave name doesn't make you a brave person in fact as a kid I didn't like sleeping alone I used to sleep in my mom's bed even when she tried to bribe me I wouldn't leave I'll give you a quarter to go sleep in your room not hands is Barry here one of my scariest moments came when I was eight years old I was outside and a girl from across the street called me a terrible name I was so mad I yelled a name right back at her her father came running immediately he didn't like it that a black boy was standing up to his flight daughter we were the only black family on our block like jacala he started it I don't remember who to earth drop but the fight the long me versus her dad and dad I had a good arm but no one wins in a rock fight essentially the girl's mother came out and broke it up like I said the world can be a scary place but even as a kid there was one thing that always made me happy sports and winning at sports okay that's two things I loved playing everything baseball football basketball soccer marbles even dodgeball all the kids will get in a circle white black Hispanic Asian we all play together the rules were simple if the ball hit you you were out I duck jump leap and of course throw and throw and throw by the time I was done I'd be the last one standing are they mad that I warned it now it's all down maybe they won't notice but the truth was they weren't mad at me for winning they appreciated the skill it took those childhood games were some of the only times I wasn't judged by the color of my skin hey Jackie how's he doing and what the beyond hat for y'all see still that didn't make all of my problems go away at the local public pool in Brookside Park you can only go swimming if you were white if your skin was black they lock you up don't pay now how hot it is out here trust me they know when people complained they gave us one day each week Wednesday every Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m. they open the pool to anybody black Mexican or Asian don't they know how mean that is trust me they know oh come on he even swings in a hat maybe the bees are boink so how do you win when you feel like you're fighting the entire world my mother who worked as a maid showed me the answer back then we were so poor we sometimes ate only two meals a day to help us out every Saturday night the local bakery but let us take their leftovers and the milkman back when milk was delivered to your house would give us whatever extra he had it's a feast look at all this food it's not just for us what do you mean we weren't the only ones struggling for money my mom took the extra food and shared it with all our neighbors that's right she even shared it with the angry guy who threw rocks at me would you like some extra bread Wow thanks that's very kind of you I'm Ali Jackie's mom nice to meet you Mele that's how we got to be friends with everyone in the neighborhood it was one of my mom's best muscles when you do something good it brings out the good in others plus the more our neighbors got to know us the more they realize just how much black and white people were alike I learned a similar lesson from a local mechanic named Karl Anderson he saw the group of boys I used to hang out with we called ourselves the pepper street gang we were a bunch of poor kids for fun we throw dirt clods at collars and swipe golf balls from the local course when you saw what we were doing mr. Anderson took me aside he didn't lose his temper Palmas could be he told me Jackie I know why you've been following the crowd you're afraid they'll think you're different or chicken but it doesn't take guts to follow the crowd courage comes from being willing to be different what mr. Anderson said that day it got to me with the help of my pastor I stopped hanging out with the game from there I threw myself even deeper into my favorite activity sports and winning at sports especially baseball as a teenager I could run so fast a local reporter noticed that in nearly every game I stole second third and home at least once that isn't stealing it's grand larceny man this guy could write you were just on first base how did you go so fast maybe the bees blast off in college I became the first UCLA student ever to letter in for sports in the same season baseball and football and basketball and track they said I was one of the best football players in the country two seasons in a row I scored the most points of any player in the league I won the NC double-a title that year only one American jump positively but the same problems kept coming back when the college newspaper wrote a nice article about me one of my own flight team mates purposely mash into my leg trying to injure me he was mad that the article says something nice about a black person ah my leg don't they know we're on Fantine Chuckie they know by the time I got I will be army it still didn't matter that I was one of the best athletes in the country if you wanted to play professional sports you had to be wiped sorry Shirley your client doesn't belong here back then if you were the world champs it meant you have a white chance and all of Major League Baseball our single team had even one black player oh and did I mention that if you were on a black team the pay was worth the food was worth and sometimes the only place to sleep was on the bus gross it is soot agooo you don't want to know but that was all about the change thanks to a man named Branch Rickey Rickey was a president of the Brooklyn Dodgers one of the most popular baseball teams ever yeah heaven at this the Dodgers were secretly look at black players ie next people will stop rooting for us I don't talk it's time to do what's right but so many players fighting and World War two Ricky had a plan for filling his team after searching all across the United States and the world Branch Rickey finds me I got you Robinson nice to meet you nice to meet you too I think you could play any major leagues how do you feel about that mr. Rickey told me that he knew I was a good ballplayer but he wanted to know whether I had the guts he warned me that many white people would be mad to see a black player is no one on our side no owners no umpires loads of players and spectators well yell at you pictures would throw baseballs accurate but no matter what they do if you get angry it will look like you can't handle it can you handle it on April 18 1946 at 27 years old I was given my shot at Roosevelt Stadium and Jersey City New Jersey I played my first official game for the Montreal Royals the Brooklyn Dodgers farm team you better believe I was terrified I didn't want to let people down then I'd 304 p.m. and my first at-bat I was thrown at it first yeah I wrapped thousands of black spectators had come to see what I could do thousands of white people were there too convinced but a black player couldn't possibly be as good as a white one it was up to me to prove them wrong the next time I came up wasn't a third inning there were two men on base the picture decided on a fastball I can still see it coming chest-high down the middle but this time the ball finally landed 340 feet away and the left field scan no one could say that a black man can't play as well as a white man some called it a home run others called it history that afternoon and five that bet I hit and got on base four times I stole second twice and I scored four runs hey Jackie how's he doing but he took that be at back on it's going to be football when the game was done I couldn't get to the locker room because I was so mobbed by fans black white young old even the folks rooting for the other team they were cheering for me still that didn't mean it was easy when I started playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers lots of players didn't want me there pictures through fast balls at my head runners stepped on me with their cleats catches even spit on my shoes I know you sold it and they weren't just coming after me they told me that if I kept playing they'd heard my son was I mad yes was I scared yes but I never let it stop me I told you it beats the boom the B is for Brooklyn genius game after game I kept playing knowing I wasn't just playing for myself each time more and more people black and white were tears in the stands fans wore I'm for Jackie button and slowly eventually we were all playing together black white asian Hispanic baseball opened up to everyone it was just like those childhood games of dodgeball through the simple game of baseball the country saw a new possibility a new option all they needed before someone to go first if you stopped don't know nice times but National League MVP in 1949 when he led his hitting and steals the Dodgers won sixth pennant his ten seasons he was one of the few people and death didn't to the Hall of Fame in the very first year he was eligible in life people tried to scare me they wanted to stop me they wanted to make me go away why because I was different it's time I wanted to fight back but for real change to come you need to lead by example being a leader takes bravery but remember this no one is born brave no matter how big or small you are there will always be things that scare you it's okay to be afraid just don't let it stop you remember that part where they wouldn't let in swim it's now called Robinson Park today no one in baseball can wear number 42 but once a year every player on every team wears it it's the one day when everyone looks the same there is real power in each and every one of them use that power to do what's right use that power for a cause that you believe in and most of all use that power to lead and help others you know instead Brooklyn you can't tell people that the B was for brave just like my real name I am Jackie Robinson I will always lead the way and I hope you will too when others see your example they'll stand with you it's the only way the world ever gets changed together thank you for visiting goodness to get more information for this source check the description box below and sure to thumbs up this video click the subscribe button for the latest videos on granny's bull semen

Channel: Grammy's Book Nook

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Keywords: Stories, books, bedtime stories, children's books, Accelerated Reader, Lexile, children's books read along, children's books online, children's books read aloud, best children's books read aloud, children's books channel, classic children's books read aloud, classic children's books, books for children read aloud, books online for children, narrated children's books, popular children's books read aloud, Black history, Jackie Robinson

Id: ibWCmC23ERQ

Length: 17min 17sec (1037 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 09 2017