Jackie Robinson - Support of and Backlash Against the Movement

On August 28th, 1967, he spoke out against militant black groups and leaders, and cited Stokely Carmichael and the Black Power movement. His argument, which was well thought out, was that extremists in the fight for equality serve to polarize white Americans who are hesitant to embrace equality. When the average American sees an aggressive approach toward civil rights, they tend to be a bit scared and are turned off of the movement. This causes them to vote for politicians like Alabama Governor George Wallace. Robinson went on to cite a percentage growth of black-owned businesses in Harlem, and point to this as a positive sign of progress and what “black power” should be. Equality is gained not through angry protesting, but through political and economical means. He goes on to lambaste the news media for giving more play to the more spectacular extremists, rather than the moderates, like Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is interesting that he, in 1967, advocates a more passive resistance than what Stokely Carmichael proposes, but in 1960 said that patience could no longer be an option. While, on the surface, this appears to be a change in his position toward the rate of change in the Civil Rights Movement, it is not really. He seems to stay consistent to his beliefs, while the Movement, itself, becomes more liberal and militant. In 1960, he said that African-Americans could not wait for change, because the Movement was not pushing for aggressive enough change. But, by 1967, the push for change had become so aggressive that it had gone beyond anything he had ever wanted. The movement was, by 1967, too militant, and too aggressive for him. It could also be very possible that he saw one stage of the Civil Rights Movement in 1960, that necessitated one set of tactics, and then saw a different stage for the movement, in 1967, that involved a more conservative set. It could be that in 1960, there weren’t all to many accomplishments on which to “hang a hat”, but now that the accomplishments of the early- to mid-‘60s had occurred, the door was now open to take a more business approach toward civil rights. At the beginning of the decade, legislative successes still needed to be attained. The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts were keystone pieces in legislative victories. At this point, de jure racism had nearly been eliminated, but de facto racism still existed. Robinson turned his attention toward integrating economically, and working through the system.

Later in 1967, Robinson criticized the NAACP, at a convention of the Pennsylvania NAACP, for becoming complacent toward civil rights. “What you need are civil rights victories and you better get back on the streets yourselves.” He also criticized those who argued that young black men should not serve in Vietnam, because he believes that in order to benefit from the Civil Rights Movement, one must be willing to serve in the armed forces, just like any other American. Furthermore, he argues that that this is not just a problem of the black community, and that help is needed of the white community, as well. He is arguing that it is not just injustices that one section of society needs to overcome, but the entire society, as a whole, needs to approach and overcome.

Jackie Robinson: Civil Rights Leader - Index

• Jackie Robinson: Civil Rights Leader
• Jackie Robinson - Historiography
• Jackie Robinson - The Back Story
• Jackie Robinson - Black Ballplayers and Branch Rickey
• Jackie Robinson - Becoming Political
• Jackie Robinson - Post-retirement
• Jackie Robinson - Support of and Backlash Against the Movement
• Jackie Robinson - Conclusion