ACR 197, as introduced, Gatto. Jackie Robinson Memorial Highway
This measure would designate a specified portion of Interstate 210 from California State Route 2 to Orange Grove Boulevard in the County of Los Angeles as the Jackie Robinson Memorial Highway. The measure also would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P1 1WHEREAS, Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson was born on
2January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, to a family of sharecroppers.
3Jackie Robinson and his four brothers were raised by a single
4mother who in 1920 managed to move the family to Pasadena,
5California, and they became the first and only black family on
6their block; and
7WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson was a natural athlete and
8succeeded at John Muir High School and attended Pasadena City
9College where he continued his athletic career by succeeding in
10basketball, football, baseball, and track in 1938 when he was named
11the region’s Most Valuable Player; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson transferred to the University of
2California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1939 where he became the
3first Bruin to letter in four sports: baseball, basketball, football,
4and track; and
5WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson served as a second lieutenant in
6the United States Army from 1942 to 1944 and was arrested and
7court martialed during boot camp for refusing to move to the back
8of a bus. He was later acquitted of all charges and received an
9honorable discharge; and
10WHEREAS, In early 1945, the Kansas City Monarchs sent him
11a written offer to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues.
12In all, Jackie Robinson played 47 games for the Monarchs, hitting
13.387 with five home runs and registering 13 stolen bases; and
14WHEREAS, In 1946, Jackie Robinson arrived at Daytona Beach,
15Florida, for spring training with the all-white Montreal Royals of
16the Class Triple-A International League and farm team for the
17Brooklyn Dodgers; and
18WHEREAS, On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his major
19league debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field before a
20crowd of 26,623 spectators, including more than 14,000 black
21patrons, marking the first time ever that an African American
22athlete played in major league baseball. Jackie Robinson faced the
23constant onslaught from the public and from players objecting to
24playing with him; and
25WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson stood firm and focused on beating
26the critics on the field, despite the umpires who were supposed to
27protect all the players, including Jackie Robinson, turning a blind
28eye to the abuse and pitches aimed at his head that he endured,
29putting his life in danger; and
30WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson finished the 1947 season having
31played in 151 games for the Dodgers with a batting average of
32.297, an on-base percentage of .383, and a .427 slugging
33percentage. He had 175 hits, scoring 125 runs, including 31
34doubles, 5 triples, and 12 home runs, driving in 48 runs for the
35year. He led the league with 28 sacrifice hits and 29 stolen bases.
36His cumulative performance earned him the inaugural Major
37League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award; and
38WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson retired on January 5, 1957, from
39professional baseball with an impressive career batting average of
40.311; and
P3 1WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson became a vocal champion for
2African American athletes, civil rights, and other social and
3political causes, so that, after baseball, he became active in business
4and continued his work as an activist for social change and served
5on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of
6Colored People (NAACP) until 1967; and
7WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson was the first African American
8to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1972,
9the Dodgers retired his uniform number of 42. His number, 42, is
10the only number to be retired by all of baseball in honor of his
11accomplishments, including being the first African American to
12break the color barrier; and
13WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson died from heart problems and
14diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in Stamford,
15Connecticut. He is survived by his wife, Rachel Isum Robinson,
16a nursing student whom he met at UCLA, and two of his three
17children, Sharon and David; his oldest child, Jackie Jr., died in an
18automobile accident in 1971; and
19WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson’s life and legacy will be
20remembered as one of the most important in American history. In
211997, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of his breaking
22major league baseball’s color barrier, and in doing so, honored the
23man who stood defiantly against those who would work against
24racial equality and acknowledged the profound influence of one
25man’s life on American culture; and
26WHEREAS, Every year on the anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s
27historic debut, all major league baseball teams across the nation
28celebrate this milestone by wearing jerseys with only “42” on the
29back; and
30WHEREAS, To this day Jackie Robinson is regarded as an
31inspiring example of how to combat hate and discrimination in the
32world; now, therefore, be it
33Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
34thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
35portion of Interstate 210 from California State Route 2 to Orange
36Grove Boulevard in the County of Los Angeles near where Jackie
37Robinson grew up as the Jackie Robinson Memorial Highway;
38and be it further
39Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
40to determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the
P4 1signing requirements for the state highway system showing this
2special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
3sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it
4further
5Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
6of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
7for appropriate distribution.
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