This here story is about Jerry Robinson, you know, Jackie Robinson’s father. That baseball fella, Jackie, he got his name from his daddy. Now, Jerry, he was a good man, but life, it was hard back then.
Jerry Robinson, A Sharecropper
Jerry, he worked the land, a sharecropper they called him. Worked on a plantation, owned by a fella named James Madison Sasser. That’s where he met Jackie’s momma, Mallie. She was a good woman, Mallie was. They both worked hard, real hard. They were born in Georgia and both of his parents were sharecroppers living there, too.
Jerry and Mallie, they had a bunch of kids. Jackie, he was the youngest. Five young’uns they had, and life wasn’t easy, no sir. Times were tough for folks like them, specially back in them days. Jerry, he was living with his own folks when he met Mallie. They were working that same Sasser plantation. Jerry’s daddy, Tony Robinson, he come up from Florida to work that land.
Jerry Robinson Left The Family
But you know, sometimes life throws you a curveball. Jerry, he up and left. Left Mallie and the kids. Jackie was just a baby, maybe six months old. Can you believe that? Leaving a woman with all them kids? It was 1920.
- Jackie Robinson’s father was Jerry Robinson.
- Jerry was a sharecropper.
- He met Jackie’s mother, Mallie, on a plantation.
- Jerry left the family when Jackie was just a baby.
Mallie, bless her heart, she didn’t give up. She was strong, that woman. She packed up them kids and moved them all the way to Pasadena, California. Wanted a better life for them, away from all that trouble in the South. She was a good momma, always looking out for her babies.
Jackie Robinson’s father, Jerry, he wasn’t around much after that. Don’t know what became of him. But Mallie, she raised them kids right. Taught them to be strong and proud, no matter what. And Jackie, well, he became a baseball legend. A real hero. Broke down barriers, he did. He learned to be a good man even without a father.
Jackie Robinson’s Mother, Mallie
Mallie, she was proud of all her kids, specially Jackie. But she mourned for her first son. Jackie Jr., died too young in a car crash. That broke Mallie’s heart. Then, not long after, Jackie himself passed away. A heart attack took him, just 53 years old. But Jackie got a good wife, Rachel. She was a nurse and a good woman.
Life ain’t always fair, that’s for sure. But Mallie and her kids, they showed that you can overcome anything. Even when your daddy leaves and you gotta face the world alone. You just gotta keep on going, keep on fighting for what’s right.
So, that’s the story of Jerry Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s father. A man who left his family, but whose son became a legend. And Mallie, the strong woman who held them all together. It’s a story about hard times, and about never giving up, no matter what. That’s all I know about them folks.
Life Lessons from Jerry Robinson’s Story
Now, this old lady ain’t got much learning, but I know a thing or two about life. And this story, it teaches you some things. It teaches you that sometimes, people disappoint you. Like Jerry did. But it also teaches you that you can’t let that stop you. Like Mallie, she didn’t let it stop her.
And Jackie, bless his soul, he made something of himself, even without a daddy. He became a big baseball star, a hero to many. He is a big name, everyone knows him. So you see, even when things are tough, you can still make something good happen. Just gotta keep your head up and keep moving forward. It is not easy, but you can make it.
That’s what I learned from this story, anyway. Hope you young folks learned something too. Remember, life ain’t always easy, but you gotta make the best of it. Just like Jackie Robinson did.
