Well-known as the baseball player who integrated modern major league baseball, Jackie Robinson is all too often overlooked as the catalyst of America’s civil rights movement. In fact, Robinson was both a symbol of change and a catalyst for more change. His life and legacy still resonate today and serve as an excellent illustration of the historical and sociological connection between race and sports.
The presentation will address the most serious omissions and shortcomings in the typical consideration of Jackie Robinson’s life, including his accomplishments after his baseball career ended and the special relevance of Rachel Isum Robinson, his wife and partner in every stage of his personal and professional journey. The presentation also will examine how the obstacles he faced and the barriers he overcame illustrate that what happens on the playing field often transcends the playing field, especially when race is involved.
Jackie Robinson’s historic breakthrough remains the single best example of sport’s power to effect change. Stories and memories about him are an important part of American history, well worth saving, honoring, celebrating, preserving, sharing, and transmitting to those whose paths we cross.
Dr. Richard Zamoff has been an adjunct associate professor of sociology at George Washington University, and served as director of the Jackie Robinson Project since its inception in 1996 and as faculty advisor to the Jackie and Rachel Robinson society, a student Organization, since it was created in 2000. At George Washington, Dr. Zamoff has taught the Sociology of Sports and a class titled “Jackie Robinson: Race, Sports, and the American Dream.” He has also taught at Trinity University, Queens College of the City University of New York, and Columbia College. In 2016, GW’s student-athletes honored Dr. Zamoff by voting him “Professor of the Year.” In 2019, he joined the Jackie Robinson Museum’s advisory board.