Jackie Robinson, from the beginning of his life, was known for his great achievements in sports, but his successes in sports only aided the larger goal of racial equality. Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College, where he often found himself in trouble for not cooperating with Jim Crow laws, laws that enforced segregation between African Americans and whites. He also attended UCLA College where he met his future wife, but was unable to finish due to financial difficulties. When he joined the army he faced discrimination from other soldiers; this discrimination he faced showed him that sports was his true calling, not the military. He seemed destined to lead a career in bringing African Americans and whites together. Jackie Robinson played baseball in a time when it was segregated, a time when there were white leagues and African-American leagues and the two didn't mix. Being a civil rights activist, Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, opening the sport to African Americans. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in the year 1919. His middle name is Roosevelt, named after President Teddy Roosevelt who spoke out against racism until his pleas were drowned out by white supremacist groups. Jackie was born into a family of sharecroppers. His parents, Mallie and Jerry, had an irregular marriage. They had four children before the marriage finally ended. From then on, Mallie raised all the children on her own. They were one of the few African American families in their area and were tremendously discriminated against. A year later Jackie Robinson and his family moved to Pasadena, California with a group of emigrants. There they lived in a small three-room apartment with the entire group of émigrés...... middle of paper ......to his officer training school and completed as a second lieutenant. After leaving the Army, he began his baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, where his struggle to break the color barrier began. Branch Rickey, the general manager, and Jackie Robinson had the same idea of ​​allowing those with ability, regardless of color, to enter the MLB. After retiring from the sport, Robinson didn't let his career fighting for equality stop. He wrote letters to future presidential candidates and leaders in offices to help the civil rights movement gain momentum. Robinson made sure his opinion was well known. He also created the Jackie Robinson Foundation to help students of color who have disadvantages. However, Robinson will always be remembered as the first African-American man to play baseball and preserve the Major League, despite the racism and disadvantages he faced..