Today Negroes play on every big
â
Today, Negroes play on every big league club
and in every minor league.
With millions of other Negroes in other walks of life,
we are willing to stand up and be counted for what we believe in.
In baseball or out,
we are no longer willing to wait until Judgment Day for equality
we want it here on earth as well as in Heaven.
â
Meaning
This quote means black Americans were no longer willing to wait passively for equality in some distant future. Justice must be demanded in real life, not postponed to heaven.
About Author
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was an American baseball player and civil rights activist, famously breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. His quotes often reflect courage, determination, and equality. Robinson inspires athletes, activists, and leaders to challenge injustice, persevere against adversity, and make a lasting impact in sports and society.
Related Quotes
â My problem was my inability to spend much time at home. I thought my family was secure, so I went running around everyplace else. I guess I had more of an effect on other people's kids than I did my own. â
This quote is a regretful admission that public impact can come at the cost of private family presence. Success elsewhere does not erase absence at home.
â The way I figured it, I was even with baseball and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it. â
This quote means Robinson felt his relationship with baseball had become balanced: the game gave him opportunity, and he gave it transformation and greatness in return.
â When I look back at what I had to go through in black baseball, I can only marvel at the many black players who stuck it out for years in the Jim Crow leagues because they had nowhere else to go. â
This quote honors the endurance of black players who remained in segregated baseball because they had no fair alternative. It recognizes resilience under injustice.