Title/Author:
“Reclaiming 42: Public
Memory and the Reframing of Jackie Robinson’s Radical Legacy” by David Naze
Tags:
Baseball, politics,
race, history
Publish date:
June 1, 2019
Length:
234 pages
Rating:
4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
While the story of how and when Jackie
Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball (MLB) is well-known
to many people, including non-baseball fans, that story that is considered the “official”
one by MLB, this scholarly book by David Naze explores the lesser known aspects
of Robinson in his life away from the diamond and opines that there is much
more to the man than what MLB, the Hall of Fame, and others portray him to be.
Naze states his intentions early on
and repeats the theme frequently throughout the book that Robinson’s complete contribution
to racial relations and politics is omitted for various reasons. The examples of the omissions that are rarely
published or discussed are Robinson’s letters to Congressman Adam Clayton
Powell and to Malcolm X. In both letters, Robinson is critical of the manner in
which these civil rights activists are addressing this issue and because of
this, Naze contends, Robinson’s true contribution to the issue of race
relations is lacking. The same is said for the lack of widespread work that
examines Robinson’s remarks to the House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC) when that committee was investigating entertainer Paul Robeson.
Why this is the case is explained in
Chapter 4 of the book when Naze discusses the celebration of Jackie Robinson
Day at Shea Stadium in 2004 by then-Commissioner Bud Selig. Naze makes a compelling case about MLB portraying
Robinson in a sanitized manner that is acceptable to the mostly white executives
of MLB. Naze illustrates the dual message being sent in describing Robinson’s “heroic”
actions to desegregate the game and have MLB congratulate itself for this while
still having no executives or owners who are black. Reading about this “sanitizing” of the
complete Robinson story was fascinating and also fairly easy for a scholarly work.
This chapter, however, wasn’t the
best of the book. In chapter 3, to
illustrate another point Naze makes that the integration of MLB wasn’t all good
as it lead to the demise of the Negro Leagues, he takes readers on a guided
tour of two baseball museums. In great
detail, the reader will be lead through the National Baseball Hall of Fame and
Museum in Cooperstown, New York and also the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in
Kansas City, Missouri. (Note: it is
emphasize to NOT call the latter a “Hall of Fame.”) These are done to illustrate the difference
in the two museums’ interpretation of Robinson’s legacy. Naze points out the Cooperstown museum concentrates
on Robinson’s individual contribution, as it does for others who are enshrined there.
This is the individualism that it illustrates and contrasts with the Negro
League’s museum which has a much smaller display of Robinson and includes him in
the collective history of black baseball.
That collective theme is in line with the rest of that museum and these
two different styles reflects how Robinson is remembered in the annals of
history in MLB and in the history of black baseball.
By profiling Robinson in a very different
manner, Naze does a very good job of not only presenting these little-known
actions by Robinson but also presenting his argument of how MLB is not
presenting the true story of integration. As mentioned earlier, this is a fairly easy and
quick read which is not common for a book of this style. Because of this, the book
is highly recommended for readers who want to learn more about Jackie Robinson.
I wish to thank University of
Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest
review.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
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