| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution commending baseball great Jackie Robinson. |
| 3 |
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson was born to Jerry and Mallie |
| 5 | Robinson in Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919, and was raised |
| 6 | in poverty by his mother during times of segregation, and |
| 7 | WHEREAS, he attended Muir Technical High School and |
| 8 | Pasadena Junior College in Pasadena, California, and then went |
| 9 | on to the University of California, Los Angeles, where his |
| 10 | education continued until, just a few credits shy of his |
| 11 | bachelor's degree, he was forced to leave due to financial |
| 12 | issues, and |
| 13 | WHEREAS, he began playing semi-professional sports in 1941 |
| 14 | when he joined the Honolulu Bears, a racially integrated |
| 15 | football team, but his sports career was interrupted when, later |
| 16 | that same year, he was drafted into the United States Army, and |
| 17 | WHEREAS, after existing policy was challenged and changed |
| 18 | to allow black men to attend Officer Training School, Jackie |
| 19 | Robinson was commissioned to Lieutenant in 1943, and |
| 20 | WHEREAS, he was honorably discharged from service in 1944 |
| 21 | and began his baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs in |
| 22 | 1945 upon joining the American Negro League, and |
| 23 | WHEREAS, on October 23, 1945, Jackie Robinson began playing |
| 24 | for the Montreal Royals, thereby distinguishing himself as the |
| 25 | first black man to play for an all-white baseball team, NOW, |
| 26 | THEREFORE, |
| 27 |
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| 28 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 29 | Florida: |
| 30 |
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| 31 | That Jackie Robinson is commended for possessing the |
| 32 | unwavering courage and dedication that opened the doors to |
| 33 | integration in professional sports. |