From Trayvon Martin to Ferguson, to Eric Garner and beyond, the issue has taken perhaps its most prominent role since Jackie Robinson was fighting for civil rights in the '60s. Interviewing everyone from Robinson's wife, Rachel, to President Barack Obama and the first lady, the Civil War and Baseball director does just that as he explores the misunderstood life of one of America's greatest civil rights pioneers.Ĭoinciding with the production of Jackie Robinson was the reintroduction of the issue of race into mainstream discourse in America. Some myths need to be dispelled, especially in the case of a complicated figure like Robinson, whose work as an activist is just as important now as it was 50 years ago. This is the Robinson who filmmaker Ken Burns-along with daughter Sarah and son-in-law David McMahon-examines in his latest documentary, Jackie Robinson, which airs April 11 and 12 on PBS. White America has preserved this gleaming image of the icon, but the real Jackie Robinson was far angrier than history remembers, and he continued fighting fiercely for African-American rights long after his playing career came to an end. He was the humble ballplayer Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey used to break baseball's color barrier, the secular saint who turned the other cheek when confronted with racism. Updated | History remembers Jackie Robinson mostly as a myth, not a man. Culture Ken Burns Race Civil rights Baseball
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