“Mr. Rickey, do you really think a nigger’s a human being?”

Clay Hopper, Jackie Robinson’s minor league manager in Montreal

at the beginning of the season.

 

The sun is rising

above the building opposite

the mural of Jackie Robinson.

displaying his face

in blue, green, and yellow translucence

his body in shadow.

He does not show his fears,

only his love of playing ball.

After the racist taunts,

segregated housing,

and separation from his team at dinners

in St. Louis and Georgia,

the atmosphere in Montreal was so positive.

When Jackie’s wife became pregnant,

five Quebecois children from upstairs

carried her luggage into their home.

 

Average, .349

Runs, 112

Stolen Bases, 42

Runs Batted In, 66

 

At 27 years old, at his last game of the season in Montreal,

as he left the stadium,

his adoring fans storming the street,

Jackie ran from a white mob with love

instead of lynching on its mind.

 

“He’s a player who must go to the majors. He’s a big league ballplayer, a good team hustler, and a real gentleman.”

Clay Hopper, Jackie Robinson’s minor league manager in Montreal

at the end of the season.