Early Life
Jackie Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in the year 1919 to a poor, sharecropping family. His mother, Mallie, moved Jackie and his four siblings (three brothers, one sister) to Pasadena, California, where Jackie spend most of this childhood. His brother, Mack Robinson, finished second to Jesse Owens in the famous Berlin Olympics. Jackie attended Muir High School and excelled in five sports.
Jackie was one of the first black athletes to attend the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) on a full athletic scholarship. He excelled in football, track and field, and most notably baseball. He was an expectional student; however, it was very hard for Jackie to be a student at UCLA, considering that there was a lot of racial tension at the time. He faced many struggles with racism and discrimination.
Jackie was one of the first black athletes to attend the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) on a full athletic scholarship. He excelled in football, track and field, and most notably baseball. He was an expectional student; however, it was very hard for Jackie to be a student at UCLA, considering that there was a lot of racial tension at the time. He faced many struggles with racism and discrimination.