Jackie Robinson

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You can stream Jackie Robinson (2016) on PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel with a subscription.

Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.” After baseball, he was a widely-read newspaper columnist, divisive political activist and tireless advocate for civil rights, who later struggled to remain relevant as diabetes crippled his body and a new generation of leaders set a more militant course for the civil rights movement.

Breaking baseball's color barrier required more than athletic talent; it demanded an iron will against relentless public hostility. This intimate portrait captures the heavy personal cost of becoming a reluctant symbol for a changing nation.