Jackie Robinson

The Negro Leagues

Learn how Jackie Robinson entered the Negro Leagues, playing for the Kansas City Monarchs. In this clip, Buck O’Neil recounts when the team bus stopped at a filling station in Oklahoma, and the station attendant stated that the restroom was "for whites only.” Robinson told the attendant “No restroom, no gas.” Fearing the loss of a large sale of gasoline, the attendant agreed to let them use it.

The Negro Leagues

1m 6s

  • The Anderson Monarchs: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Anderson Monarchs

    4m 15s

    The Anderson Monarchs are the Little League team from South Philadelphia named after the Kansas City Monarchs, which was the legendary Negro League team for which Jackie Robinson played before breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947.

  • Part II: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Part II

    S1 E2 - 1h 54m

    Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.”

  • Part I: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Part I

    S1 E1 - 1h 53m

    Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to cross baseball’s color line and become one of the most beloved men in America. A fierce integrationist, Robinson used his immense fame to speak out against the discrimination he saw on and off the field, angering fans, the press, and even teammates who had once celebrated him for “turning the other cheek.”

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.