MOULTRIE, Ga. —

February and Black History Month are almost over. I would be remiss not to write something about the late great Jackie Robinson, especially since he’s from my hometown of Cairo, Ga. 

A few days ago, I watched a movie on the life of Jackie Robinson. And then I watched a documentary.

For those who don’t know, Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team that later moved to California. And yes, he was a star player.

The movie was dramatized, of course, but it was amazing how close the documentary followed the script … or vice versa. And given what was going on in our country at the time, the drama likely mimicked real life for the most part — give or take a few racist slurs.

While watching both the movie and the documentary, I was carried back to my childhood when there were “colored” waiting rooms and “white” waiting rooms. At the movies, whites were seated in the main downstairs section and blacks were seated in the balcony. Blacks were not allowed in white restaurants and of course, they had to sit in the back of the bus. 

I recalled when Alabama Gov. George Wallace, an avowed racist at the time, tried to keep a young black lady from attending college at the University of Alabama. Before he died, Wallace admitted he was wrong.

It was a sorry time in American history.  It was a boil that needed lancing.

I was impressed that Robinson could even concentrate on playing baseball. He was the epitome of someone “turning the other check,” even though he was slurred and harassed at every turn in those early years with the Dodgers. I don’t think anyone today can imagine how he could keep his mind on the game with the bigotry being rained down upon him as he took his position at first base or when he came up to bat.

While he had good cause to lash back, Robinson kept his cool. He played his heart out in the game he loved. It was only after his career was over that he became an outspoken activist for civil rights, as illustrated in the documentary.

Looking back on these times and these events, it’s difficult for me to perceive the bigotry that shaped these stories. In a country that eventually would put a man on the moon and display vast advances in science, how could it be so ignorant and even barbaric in the venue of sociology?

I realize that we still have a ways to go before we can accept a “gold star” in the area of improved human relations. But we have come far because of people like Jackie Robinson, Dr. Martin Luther King and the many that they influenced.

We have several signs down in Cairo proclaiming it a special place because of people who excelled in their endeavors. Two Cairo boys played in Super Bowls. Bill Stanfield, who died recently, was defensive end for the “no-name-defense” of the Miami Dolphins. Bobby Walden (“the big toe from Cairo”) was for many years the punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Teresa Edwards was an Olympic basketball star.

And of course, there’s that sign that notes the birthplace of Jackie Robinson. I never pass that sign without thinking about the challenges he had to endure to reach his greatness – obstacles other greats did not have to overcome.  I deeply respect his love for the game and the courage it took to cross that line and help put our country on a nobler path. He was much more than a hero of the game.

(Email: dwain.walden@gaflnews.com)