Roosevelt Stadium<\/a> and against the home team Giants, that Jackie Robinson did what no African\u00e2\u20ac\u201cAmerican had accomplished since the earliest days of professional baseball \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he took part in a regular season game. As a member of the International League Montreal Royals he became the first non-white player to break through baseball\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s colour barrier, shattering it once and for all – and he did so in the face of insults, threats, abuse, and denigration that today seems impossible to comprehend.<\/p>\nJackie Robinson was the pacesetter. All others who followed, from the Newcombes and Campanellas to the Jenkins and Gibsons and on through the polyglot, multinational universe that characterizes the modern game, did so in his shadow. Arguably, his was the first great civil rights manifestation of the post-World War II era.<\/p>\n
And it all began in Montreal, where Jackie and his wife Rachel were joyfully embraced by the city, his teammates and the community in which they lived. We were reminded of this by U.S Ambassador Jacobson, who, speaking from the steps of the Robinson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 1946 home, as snowflakes bounced off his vintage Montreal Royals cap, offered thanks to the citizens of Montreal on behalf of the American people.<\/p>\n
He spoke of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153something very special which was done by the people of Montreal,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d adding that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what the people of Montreal did and what they showed to Americans [came] at a time when we probably weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t as tolerant as we ought to have been\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6The people of this house and the people in this neighborhood and the people of Montreal were much better.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
And, as it turned out, that made all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n
In the photo of the Robinson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lower duplex at 8232 de Gasp\u00c3\u00a9 Avenue, one can gain a good sense of their dwelling and how it was closely connected to others on the street. At the podium is U.S. Consul General in Montreal, Lee McClenny, who presided over the unveiling of the![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i758.photobucket.com\/albums\/xx226\/tedleavengood\/JackieEventinMontreal-1.jpg\")
commemorative plaque placed on Jackie Robinson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 1946 Montreal residence, Sharon Robinson is on his immediate left; U.S, Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson is wearing the blue Montreal Royals cap; and the Mayor of Montreal, Gerald Tremblay is to his left, in the red scarf.<\/p>\n
Just to backtrack a bit, Jackie was signed to a Montreal Royal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s contact in the fall of 1945, the first step in what Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey sometimes referred to as a noble experiment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c integration of the major leagues. The following February Jackie and Rachel were wed in California, and just days later they set out for Florida and spring training with the Royals. They soon discovered that life in the Sunshine State away from the playing fields was ugly and difficult, and much as with Ferguson Jenkins some 15 years later, it shook them to the very core.<\/p>\n
In a letter which the now 88-year old Rachel Robinson sent to Ambassador Jacobsen expressing regret that she could not attend the plaque unveiling, and which was read aloud by Consul General McClenny, she was very clear on that point. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Before Jack and I moved to Montreal,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she wrote, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153we had been through some very rough treatment in the racially biased South\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6We were shaken from that experience and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what to expect in Montreal.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Implicit here was the notion that had their reception north of the border been as difficult as what they endured in Florida, the couple might well have turned their backs – on the city, on baseball, and on Branch Rickey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desire to change the face of baseball forever.<\/p>\n
But instead, as Mrs. Robinson wrote, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Montreal was the perfect place for [Jack] to get his start. We never had a threatening or unpleasant experience there. The people were so welcoming and saw Jack as a player and as a man.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Sharon Robinson, who was present at the unveiling, reiterated her mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sentiments: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My mother and father had such positive memories about their time in Montreal,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. And as for the home on avenue de Gasp\u00c3\u00a9, Sharon added that, to her parents, it emerged as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a place they could come home to after being on the road in the south where there was so much hatred \u00c2\u00a0expressed \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6and have the love and respect of a community. This was very important to them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i758.photobucket.com\/albums\/xx226\/tedleavengood\/JackierelativeinMontreal-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
In her letter to Ambassador Jacobson, Rachel Robinson wrote at length about the significance \u00c2\u00a0of their Montreal home:<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so pleased to hear that our old house is in good condition and being recognized today. We \u00c2\u00a0didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how we would be treated renting a house in a white neighborhood. A black family l \u00c2\u00a0looking to rent in a white neighborhood in many parts of the world at that time would have been \u00c2\u00a0rejected. But on de Gasp\u00c3\u00a9 Avenue, we experienced nothing but kindness. The woman who \u00c2\u00a0owned the duplex we rented brought me inside the first day we met her, poured me tea, and \u00c2\u00a0insisted that when we lived there, she wanted us to use her things \u00e2\u20ac\u201c her own linens and china. No \u00c2\u00a0one there spoke English, and we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak any French. But they still treated us with respect. \u00c2\u00a0When it became noticeable that summer that I was pregnant with our first child, the neighbors \u00c2\u00a0all started watching out for me, coming by to ask me how I was doing and bringing ration coupons. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the kind of experience we had in Montreal. (Note: the photo below is of Sharon Robinson, Jackie and Rachel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daughter. She is standing on the same steps and almost in the same spot where her parents once posed for an iconic portrait taken shortly after they arrived in Montreal as newly-weds.)<\/p>\n
The story is told that one day during the summer a neighbour driving by saw Jackie walking on the street and stopped to give him a lift. He vaguely recognized Jackie as someone who lived nearby, but other than that had no idea who he was. When Jackie said he was headed to the ball park, the neighbour replied that he was only going part way but could drive at least him that far. Years later the neighbour, in recounting the story, said that had he realized just how famous his passenger was \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he would have driven him all the way to the stadium!<\/p>\n
Jackie had a glorious season in 1946. Right from opening day in Jersey City, before an overflow crowd, he established his presence as a player and as a teammate. In his second at bat, he hit his first home run \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and folks wondered how his fellow players would react when he crossed home plate. Would they greet him as they would any other player, or would they shun him because of his colour? Waiting at the on-deck circle was the next batter, 21-year George \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shotgun\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shuba. As Jackie rounded third and made for home, Shuba stepped forward to greet him, hand extended. And that was all it took. With what some have called the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153first interracial handshake in professional baseball\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shuba sent out a clear message: Robinson was a member of the team.<\/p>\n
In a way, the graciousness of Shuba\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gesture was reflected in words Ambassador Jacobson spoke 65 years later on that small balcony on de Gasp\u00c3\u00a9 Avenue. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The reason that Jackie Robinson had such a special place in the hearts of everyone is not just because of what it did for the game but what it did for all of us.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
By the end of 1946 Robinson had put together a most enviable record. He was named the International League\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Most Valuable Player and was league leader in both hitting and fielding. But it was in the post-season that he truly showed his mettle. The Royals won the pennant with a record of 100-54. They marched through both Newark and Syracuse on their way to the Governor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cup, and then met up with the American Association Louisville (Kentucky) Colonels in the Junior World Series. The first three games were played in Louisville.<\/p>\n
Jackie Robinson frequently called the racist taunts directed his way by the Louisville crowds among the worst he ever experienced, and his play there suffered accordingly. When the Royals returned home they were behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.<\/p>\n
However, back in Montreal, with Jackie now playing before a friendly crowd, it was a different story. Inspired by Robinson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clutch play, the Royals took command and captured the series in three straight games, earning the right to be known as the best team in baseball outside the major leagues.<\/p>\n
Montreal Gazette columnist Dink Carroll had this to say about the pandemonium which followed the final game. Describing the deliriously happy mob of 19,171 paying customers who hung around after the game and kept calling for players to come back onto the field, he made note of the moment \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jackie Robinson finally appeared in street clothes. And [the fans] stormed around him eager to touch him, almost ripping the clothes from his back.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d They bellowed \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Il a Gagn\u00c3\u00a9 ses \u00c3\u2030paulettes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a traditional French hymn of praise sung in honour of those who had, as we might say in English, earned their wings.<\/p>\n
Out of this moment of unleashed joy has emerged one of baseball\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most familiar and endearing bits of prose. Journalist Sam Maltin who had come to know the Robinsons described the post-game scene as follows: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love, instead of lynching on its mind.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Jackie went on to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. There he excelled, was named Rookie of the Year – and the rest is history.<\/p>\n
But it is worth remembering that the foundations of Robinson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s irreversible pathway to baseball\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new frontier lay in the success of his Montreal experience. As one television reporter observed, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Montreal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impact on the game will last forever as a stage where African\u00e2\u20ac\u201cAmericans could shine, ensuring America\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pastime would no longer be limited by colour.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Or as Mayor Tremblay of Montreal would ask, and then answer himself: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why are we so proud today? Because it was here, in Montreal, that we wrote history.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We have just wrapped up Black History Month in Canada, and, interestingly enough, baseball played a major role in at least two of our nation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s many celebratory moments. A stamp was issued in honour of Ferguson Jenkins on February 1 and at the end of the month a commemorative plaque was placed on the Montreal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":721,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4563],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-letters-from-quebec"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/721"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12663\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i758.photobucket.com\/albums\/xx226\/tedleavengood\/JackieinMontreal-2.jpg\")
Montreal, Lee McClenny,unveiled a commemorative plaque acknowledging \u00c2\u00a0Jackie Robinson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s status as a “baseball legend and civil rights leader.” Also present \u00c2\u00a0were David Jacobson, U.S. Ambassador to Canada; the mayor of Montreal, Gerald \u00c2\u00a0Tremblay; the Quebec Minister of Education; other dignitaries \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and Sharon Robinson, \u00c2\u00a0Jackie and Rachel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daughter. It was a touching moment.<\/p>\n