Synopses & Reviews
“Brings together not only an extraordinary set of documents by and about the postbaseball Robinson but, through these letters, an extraordinary account of the times.” Gerald Early, BookForum
Jackie Robinsons courage on the baseball diamond is one of the great stories of the civil rights struggle, but he was a fighter off the field as well. In First Class Citizenship, Michael G. Long unearths a remarkable trove of Robinsons correspondence with such towering political figures as Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Hubert Humphrey, Nelson Rockefeller, and Barry Goldwater. These extraordinary conversations reveal the scope and depth of Robinsons effort to rid America of racism.
Writing eloquently and with evident passion, Robinson offered support to both Democrats and Republicans, and challenged the nations leaders when he felt they were guilty of hypocrisyor worse. Through his words and actions, Robinson personified the “first class citizenship” he considered the birthright of all Americans, whatever their race. Michael G. Long is an assistant professor of religious studies at Elizabethtown College and is the author of several books on religion and politics in mid-century America, including Against Us, But for Us: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the State and Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: Americas Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. He lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Jackie Robinson is remembered for his courage on the baseball diamond. His became one of the great stories of the struggle for civil rights in America.
First Class Citizenship speaks to Robinson's courage off the baseball field. The scholar Michael G. Long has unearthed a trove of Robinsons correspondence withand personal replies fromsuch historical figures as Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Hubert Humphrey, Nelson Rockefeller, and Barry Goldwater. These written conversations reveal the scope and depth of Robinsons effort during the 1950s and 1960s to rid America of racism.
Writing eloquently and with evident passion, Robinson charted his own course, offering his support to Democrats and to Republicans, questioning the tactics of the civil rights movement, and challenging the nations leaders when he felt they were guilty of hypocrisyor worse. Through his words as well as his actions, Jackie Robinson personified the “first class citizenship” that he considered the birthright of all Americans, whatever their race.
"First Class Citizenship is a rich and impressive reminder of how a courageous, pioneering athlete can also become an insistent and independent-minded political activist on behalf of human rights for all."David J. Garrow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing The Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference "Offers a personal perspective on the ballplayers political evolution. It explores how his faith metamorphosed into frustration, how and why his disdain for Southern Democrats led him to embrace Republicans such as Richard Nixon and Nelson Rockefeller, and how he reappraised figures he had originally undervalued, like John F. Kennedy, and was willing to excoriate idols like Richard Nixon and Nelson Rockefeller when he disagreed with them. The book also provides insights into Robinsons enduring relationship with his mentor, Branch Rickey, who, as general manager, hired the player for the Dodgers (and who, incidentally, demands a new biography of his own). While some blacks viewed Robinson as too much of a conciliator and a go-along guy, the letters reveal a more complex character. 'I think Ive been much more aggressive since I left baseball,' he once said. He admonished President Eisenhower for urging blacks to be patient, revealed the depth of his antagonism toward separatists like Malcolm X . . . [and] denounced Rockefeller for publicly endorsing Barry Goldwater. With the help of a professional writer, he wrote and released to the public a letter to Goldwater, whom he later came to know and like personally, in which he rejected the senators invitation to a sit-down. 'Senator, on pain of appearing facetious, I must relate to you a rather well-known story regarding the noted musician, Louis Armstrong, who was once asked to explain jazz,' Robinson wrote. '‘If you have to ask, Mr. Armstrong replied, ‘you wouldnt understand. If at this late date I have to ask your views on civil rights, Senator, I doubt if I would understand.' Robinson counseled Rockefeller against using the expression 'attaboy' in addressing black men. And in a letter published in The New York Times, he criticized an editorial suggesting American blacks were better off than nonwhites elsewhere. 'Its high time that you understand that we are interested in comparing ourselves with the standards of our own country and not with the peoples of other lands,' he wrote in 1967. By 1972, after Rockefeller ordered an assault on Attica prison to end a siege by inmates and veered rightward, perhaps to position himself for another presidential campaign, Robinson wrote: 'Somehow, it seems to me, getting ahead politically is more important to you than what is right.' To which Rockefeller replied, 'I can only say to my old friend that I havent changed but conditions have changed.'"Sam Roberts, The New York Times
"[The book] reveals a man unfamiliar to those who know him primarily as a pioneering ballplayer."Los Angeles Times Book Review
"In First Class Citizenship, Long accumulates Robinsons writing life and it is more revealing than much of what has been written about Robinson over the years. In effect, Long challenges the limiting American myth that labels Robinson as just a courageous, yet tempered star, who integrated baseball."Brian Gilmore, Ebony
"When I was growing up in Atlanta, I saw Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers play an exhibition game against the local white team. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my childhood. I remember feeling as if Robinson had won something for all of the black people in the stands that day, and I had much the same feeling as I read the letters in this remarkable book. First Class Citizenship shows us Jackie Robinson at the center of the political battles of the civil rights movement, and we are fortunate to have his words to help guide us today."Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., senior managing director, Lazard, former president of the National Urban League, and author of Vernon Can Read!
"First Class Citizenship is a rich and impressive reminder of how a courageous, pioneering athlete can also become an insistent and independent-minded political activist on behalf of human rights for all."David J. Garrow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing The Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
"These letters from and to Jackie Robinson demonstrate clearly the stirring political and intellectual reach of the man, his rare courage and vision. They document his unrelenting desire to match his prowess on the baseball field with significant achievements in politics, business, and civil rights. It is clear that, compared to Robinson, few of our star athletes have possessed as profound a sense of responsibility to their fellow citizensrich and poor, black and whiteand to their nation as a whole."Arnold Rampersad, author of Jackie Robinson: A Biography
"First Class Citizenship presents a full picture of the man whose grace and confidence on the field were matched (if not surpassed) by a voice that spoke out, long and loud, for the equal opportunity, civil rights, and humanity of all Americans. Jackie Robinson's letters are a rich and invaluable contribution to his singular legacy and to the dynamic history of the civil rights movement."Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University
"Here is Jackie Robinson . . . wielding a pen instead of a baseball bat, and doing so with devastating effect. Michael G. Long's book is not only an important contribution to history, [it] reveals the making of a true American hero . . . a great athlete becomes a great man."Jonathan Eig, author of Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinsons First Season and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
"Those looking for a throwback to the days of non-instantaneous communication will find a passionate soul unveiled in the civil rights letters of Jackie Robinsonthe first African American to play baseball in the previously all-white major leagues. Gathered by Long, these letters (both sent and received) are a narrative of the wider black freedom movement, featuring Robinson as our guide, commentator, and unrepentant conscience. They reveal the evolving relationships Robinson navigated with the likes of Barry Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, and most curiously, Richard Nixon, whom Robinson supported during his 1960 presidential bid. However, the relationship between Nixon and the always candid Robinson became strained over time, leading to a withdrawal of support in the 1968 presidential elections . . . This new gathering will impel even the non-sports enthusiast to spend an afternoon with this man."Jim Hahn, Library Journal
"Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's entry into major league baseball, which broke the sport's color barrier, this absorbing collection of letters reveals new facets of the icon's sometimes private nature. The correspondence ranges from 1946 to 1972, with such pen pals as Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Barry Goldwater. Among the more fascinating exchanges are Robinson's dialogues with Richard Nixon over civil rights; his conciliatory responses to damning missives from Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell accusing him of an Uncle Tom stance; his blistering note to Mississippi segregationist James Eastland on prejudice; and his quest to make the Republican Party color-blind with notes to Nelson Rockefeller and Goldwater. Assembled by Elizabethtown College religious studies professor Long, the letters trace Robinson's political life, seeking to rationalize the schism between his equal rights fantasies and the reality of a tarnished American dream. Fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers star will find this collection more satisfying than much other published work about him."Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“Here is Jackie Robinson as weve never seen him before - wielding a pen instead of a baseball bat, and doing so with devastating effect. Michael G. Longs book is not only an important contribution to history, its a thrilling story that reveals the making of a true American hero. Page by page, we watch as a great athlete becomes a great man. First Class Citizenship is first class all the way.”—Jonathan Eig, author of Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinsons First Season and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
“When I was growing up in Atlanta, I saw Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers play an exhibition game against the local white team. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my childhood. I remember feeling as if Robinson had won something for all of the black people in the stands that day, and I had much the same feeling as I read the letters in this remarkable book. First Class Citizenship shows us Jackie Robinson at the center of the political battles of the civil rights movement, and we are fortunate to have his words to help guide us today.”—Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., senior managing director, Lazard, former president of the National Urban League, and author of Vernon Can Read! “First Class Citizenship is a rich and impressive reminder of how a courageous, pioneering athlete can also become an insistent and independent-minded political activist on behalf of human rights for all.”—David J. Garrow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Bearing The Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference “These letters from and to Jackie Robinson demonstrate clearly the stirring political and intellectual reach of the man, his rare courage and vision. They document his unrelenting desire to match his prowess on the baseball field with significant achievements in politics, business, and civil rights. It is clear that, compared to Robinson, few of our star athletes have possessed as profound a sense of responsibility to their fellow citizens--rich and poor, black and white--and to their nation as a whole.”—Arnold Rampersad, author of Jackie Robinson: A Biography
“First Class Citizenship presents a full picture of the man whose grace and confidence on the field were matched (if not surpassed) by a voice that spoke out, long and loud, for the equal opportunity, civil rights, and humanity of all Americans. Jackie Robinsons letters are a rich and invaluable contribution to his singular legacy and to the dynamic history of the civil rights movement.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University
“Offers a personal perspective on the ballplayers political evolution.”—The New York Times
“More revealing than much of what has been written about Robinson over the years.”—Ebony/Jet
Review
“Here is Jackie Robinson as weve never seen him before – wielding a pen instead of a baseball bat, and doing so with devastating effect. Michael G. Longs book is not only an important contribution to history, its a thrilling story that reveals the making of a true American hero. Page by page, we watch as a great athlete becomes a great man. First Class Citizenship is first class all the way.”Jonathan Eig, author of Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinsons First Season and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
Synopsis
“Brings together not only an extraordinary set of documents by and about the postbaseball Robinson but, through these letters, an extraordinary account of the times.” —Gerald Early, BookForum
Jackie Robinsons courage on the baseball diamond is one of the great stories of the civil rights struggle, but he was a fighter off the field as well. In First Class Citizenship, Michael G. Long unearths a remarkable trove of Robinsons correspondence with such towering political figures as Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Hubert Humphrey, Nelson Rockefeller, and Barry Goldwater. These extraordinary conversations reveal the scope and depth of Robinsons effort to rid America of racism.
Writing eloquently and with evident passion, Robinson offered support to both Democrats and Republicans, and challenged the nations leaders when he felt they were guilty of hypocrisy—or worse. Through his words and actions, Robinson personified the “first class citizenship” he considered the birthright of all Americans, whatever their race.
About the Author
Michael G. Long is an associate professor of religious studies at Elizabethtown College and is the author of several books on religion and politics in mid-century America, including Against Us, but for Us: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the State and Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: Americas Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. He lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.