ze it, they will see that those who have become opposed to me resent my success deep down inside only because I am a Negro.’ With no desire to be a martyr for black Americans, he still had a strong obligation to them. ‘I am not carrying a cross for the Negro people,’ Jack argued, ‘But I do have a sense of responsibility. I don’t believe the people I’m trying to help would want me to walk away from trouble’” (Rampersad 255).
The barriers overcome by Robinson to become successful in baseball and as a spokesman for civil rights were enormous. This was not modern America where racism and hatred against blacks are not tolerated, at least publicly. This was America during Jim Crow and Robinson was often taunted and criticized by whites and blacks, many of whom called him an Uncle Tom. Nonetheless, Rampersad’s theory of Robinson the man includes his belief that the ballplayer was one of the few black men in America who could have endured the challenges facing blacks in knocking down the institutionalized barriers to their success. Robinson’s faith, ingrained from his mother, his love of his wife and baseball, and his deeply felt personal convictions made him strong enough to face the powerful forces standing in his way. No matter what the offense
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