To award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson (posthumously), in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, and to express the sense of the Congress that there should be a national day in recognition of Jackie Robinson.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1900) to award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson (posthumously), in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, and to express the sense of the Congress that there should be a national day in recognition of Jackie Robinson.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1900, and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this is a piece of legislation which is long overdue. If there was anyone over the past half century that has warranted the Congressional Gold Medal, it is Jackie Robinson. The reason this legislation is on the floor today, the reason it has advanced this far is because of the efforts of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the man who initiated this legislation, who has worked relentlessly to get the amount of support necessary to bring it to the floor. I commend the gentleman for it, and I thank him for giving me an opportunity to sign onto the bill as the lead cosponsor.

I have a personal interest because as a young kid growing up in New York, Jackie Robinson was certainly one of my heroes. I was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, I attended many games at Ebbets Field, and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) thinks I fantasize these things, but these are true. As a kid, there is probably no ball player who excited New York in that era more than Jackie Robinson. He really just caused all attention to be focused on himself, both through his ability and also because of his dynamism. The first game I went to, Jackie Robinson scored the winning run in the 10th inning. I saw him play a number of positions. He was on six World Series teams with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was a major player when they won the World Series in 1955, he was a perennial All-Star in the National League, and he really excelled as a ball player. And after he retired, he was elected to the Hall of Fame.

Of course, he was not just an outstanding ball player; he will go down in history for the fact and what he did in breaking the color barrier in the United States. When he broke into organized baseball in 1946 in the minor leagues and in 1947 in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers, baseball truly was the national pastime. All attention was focused on organized baseball, and there were no African Americans whatsoever allowed into organized baseball.

When Jackie Robinson broke that barrier, he really broke barriers throughout the country and set an example and a standard that our country has been attempting to live up to ever since.

I mentioned that as a kid I used to follow Jackie Robinson as a ball player. It is only as I became older that I

realized the solitary anguish he must have been going through as a ball player during those years for a while when he was the only African American ball player at all. And even after other black players came into the major leagues, it was Jackie Robinson against whom so much of the hatred and venom was aimed. What he had to go through, the way he was attacked and criticized in stadium after stadium, it took enormous courage on his part to stand up to that, and he did. He always showed class and dignity. He was always tough, but he always lived up to the highest ideals of Americanism. Because of that our society has advanced as much as it has.

In awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, we try to single out those individuals who have really made special contributions; and I cannot think of anyone, whether in the world of sports, the civil rights movement, or emerging American society, who has done more to make contributions than Jackie Robinson.

On a personal note, as great as it was for me to watch Jackie Robinson, I also had the anguish as a high school student from my high school window watching them tear down Ebbets Field. To many people, that marked the destruction of the Brooklyn Dodger image and tradition.

Mr. Speaker, the fact is, they could tear everything down, but no one could ever tear down the image of Jackie Robinson; no one could ever tear down the lasting impact that he has had on American society. So this is, as I said, a resolution which is long overdue. It is legislation that is long overdue, but it is something which is fully warranted and deserved.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, regarding the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) and the courage he has shown, I think it is important for the record to state that back in the years when Jackie Robinson was playing in the World Series against the New York Yankees, I was rooting for Jackie Robinson, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) was rooting for the New York Yankees.

In spite of that, we do believe in the ultimate power of redemption; we are glad the gentleman is attempting to atone for his sins today by advancing this legislation, and we certainly welcome him as we welcome all sinners who return to the fold.

Seriously, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) touched on many of these issues regarding Jackie Robinson. He was a man who served the United States Army during World War II, he was an All- American athlete in a number of sports at UCLA. He played any number of positions, and started all of them. He showed enormous talent and ability while he had this tremendous burden on him, the incredible pressures, the hatred being launched against him; but despite that, he continued to excel as an outstanding ball player throughout his career.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we have listened to statements today in support of this legislation, in support of this great honor being awarded to a great man, Jackie Robinson, with number 42 on his uniform, but who certainly was first in the hearts of so many Americans.

I want to again emphasize my gratitude to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) for his efforts in bringing this forward and also express the personal honor it is to me. When I was a kid growing up in New York, I never thought I would have the opportunity to be supporting legislation for one of my childhood heroes. So it really is a great moment for this country, and I can speak on behalf of the many millions of New Yorkers who lived during the 1940s and 1950s who were thrilled by Jackie Robinson's excellence on the ball field.

But more important than that, I can speak for tens of millions of Americans who will always be in his debt and will always have tremendous gratitude to him for being such a pathfinder, for being so courageous, for having the guts to go forward when very few others would. I ask that this bill be passed.

I include in the Record a statement of Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.

Statement of Baseball Commissioner Alan H. Selig

I have often said that Jackie Robinson's entry into the Big

Leagues was Baseball's proudest moment and most powerful

social statement.

Today, the United States House of Representatives codifies

the historic importance of Jackie Robinson's legacy by

awarding, posthumously, its prestigious Congressional Gold

Medal to Jackie.

On behalf of Major League Baseball, I express my gratitude

to the House of Representatives for enacting this

legislation, to Congressmen Neal (D-MA) and King (R-NY) for

proposing the bill, to the nearly 300 House co-sponsors, and

especially to those members who worked hard to achieve the

bill's passage.

Before America's Armed Forces were integrated and before

the United States Supreme

Court struck down segregation, Jackie Robinson became the

first black man to step onto a Major League ball field. That

memorable day in 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, our National

Pastime truly achieved greatness. And people of color felt

the promise of greater freedoms to come.

In April of 1997, it was my great honor to retire Jackie

Robinson's Number 42 in perpetuity. It was the first time in

any sport that such a gesture was bestowed upon an athlete.

It was a recognition that Jackie Robinson was an exceptional

man who fought racism by exhibiting athletic greatness on the

ball field and grace off the field.

On behalf of Major League Baseball, Jackie's wife, Rachel,

his children Sharon and David, and Jackie's millions of fans,

I thank the United States House of Representatives for this

special and appropriate tribute to a great ballplayer and an

even greater human being.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me state how proud I am to stand here and manage the time on this important piece of legislation as a New Yorker. Jackie Robinson, as the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) pointed out, was as much a New Yorker as he was a baseball player.

I also want to state my admiration for the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal). The gentleman and I have had the opportunity to work on many pieces of legislation during my 5 years here in Congress; and I want to suggest that it takes a tremendous amount of courage for a man from Massachusetts at this time, when a New York team is poised to defeat a Massachusetts team in a playoff series which is about to take place in a couple of days, to have the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) offer this bill here today to honor someone who became an honorary New Yorker we all appreciate. We really appreciate the motivation and the efforts of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) to Jackie Robinson.

Baseball player Jack Roosevelt Robinson, who is popularly known as Jackie Robinson, was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, the youngest of five children. He spent his formative years living in near poverty in Pasadena, California, and later went on to attend the University of California in Los Angeles. His athletic gifts came to the fore when Jackie became the first athlete in UCLA history to letter in four sports: baseball, football, basketball and track. As a result, Jackie Robinson was considered one of the most versatile athletes of his generation and went on to prove it when he played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues and later signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, the first African American to do so for the majors in the 20th century.

With the Dodgers, Jackie excelled in his game and inspired a generation of American fans and baseball players alike. The great home- run hitter of the Atlanta Braves, Hank Aaron, once remembered Jackie Robinson as an important influence in his life: ``I had just turned 20, and Jackie told me the only way to be successful at anything was to go out and do it. He said baseball was a game you played every day, not once a week.''

Jackie's career statistics tell a remarkable story. He helped the Brooklyn Dodgers win six pennants in 10 seasons. He was named Most Valuable Player in 1949 when he scored 108 runs, 203 hits, 16 home runs, and 124 RBIs. Jackie led the National League in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949 for a total career of 197. His career batting average was .311.

For his achievements in the sport, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Despite his remarkable achievements on the baseball field, Jackie still had to contend with the insidious racist environment of his time. While traveling with the Dodgers, he could not always stay in the same hotels, nor eat at the same restaurants as his white teammates. One park in Florida barred the Dodgers from playing an exhibition game because of their inclusion of Robinson on their roster.

At another point, the Cardinals threatened to strike rather than play against Robinson and the Dodgers, but the National League president intervened and the Cardinals capitulated.

Jackie Robinson received hate mail with death threats. Given the racial injustices in America at the time and the racial injustices he was subjected to as a black baseball player, it is no surprise that Jackie Robinson would later turn his attention to fostering racial justice in America. He urged Major League Baseball club owners to hire African Americans to serve as managers, coaches, and administrators in front-office positions. He traveled extensively to raise funds for the NAACP and was a strong supporter of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith.

After retiring from baseball, Jackie became a businessman. He was vice president of Chock Full O'Nuts, chairman of the board and co- founder of Freedom National Bank of Harlem between 1962 and 1972, and founded a construction company in 1970.

In both banking and construction, he sought to improve the living conditions of African Americans in urban areas. He also spoke out against drug abuse in America. He was one of the great heroes of the storied history of our national pastime. He was an inspiration to his generation, and his pioneer spirit and legacy are an inspiration to all of us and will be for many generations to come. His legacy continues to be honored by the good work of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which his wife, Rachel, founded in 1973, one year after his death, which helps college-bound minority youth in developing their potential. I urge Members to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for the effort that they extended on the floor in getting the signatures to bring us to this moment.

Mr. Speaker, our friend and colleague and hero, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), noted just a few months ago that before there was an integrated American military, there was Jackie Robinson.

Before Brown v. Board of Education, there was Jackie Robinson. Before the trauma and turbulence of events at the Edmond Pettus Bridge, there was Jackie Robinson. Before there was a Civil Rights Act of 1964, there was Jackie Robinson. And before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there was Jackie Robinson. I think that this House tries to honor those who break a barrier, and that is precisely what we are doing today in honoring Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson noted that the great thing about athletics is that you learn to act democracy, not just talk about it. I think he would in some small degree take satisfaction today knowing that this House of Representatives is not going to talk any longer about its legacy; we are going to act on it.

For his many contributions to sports, to civil rights, and to our Nation, Jackie Robinson deserves this important recognition. His remarkable life transcended baseball and helped to transform a Nation in the process.

As a baseball fan since my youth, I always admired his great talent. He was, and by all objective measurements, a true American hero. I am proud to be able to author this bipartisan legislation honoring a trailblazing legend.

The leadership of Major League Baseball and in particular its Commissioner, Bud Selig, and its President, Bob DuPuy, they also deserve special recognition today as well as the many Members of this House who faithfully secured the signatures to bring this matter up in deserving recognition for Jackie Robinson. And I want to acknowledge the role of Major League Baseball in the passage of this legislation.

And since I represent a portion of Massachusetts, let me recognize the Boston Red Sox today who held a symposium on the life of Jackie Robinson in January at Fenway Park, and it was the Red Sox who gave me the enthusiasm and presented themselves as a consistent partner in our efforts to pass this legislation.

Also, I want to thank the family of Jackie Robinson for their unyielding support of this endeavor. Many of us had the opportunity just a few weeks ago to meet Jackie's daughter, Sharon, and we came away from that meeting knowing that she possessed the same qualities as her dad: strength, courage and conviction. I want to thank the members of that family and particularly Sharon for helping with this historic achievement.

The Nation that we live in today, Mr. Speaker, is much more egalitarian. Our sense of justice which we talked about for decades is much closer to the truth today than it was when Jackie Robinson walked to home plate. America has a much better vision of fairness today than it did when Jackie Robinson stole home plate. He helped to transform that game, but in the midst of transforming that game, just as importantly, he helped to transform America.

Think of the legions of people who successfully play baseball today who cannot imagine a nation where the premier player on the team could not eat in the same restaurant with his teammates, could not secure a reservation in the same hotel as his teammates, and yet on the next day be the star and central attraction of that team. He not only changed the game; he successfully changed the complexion of the game and thereby helped change the complexion of America.

America, as I have indicated, has a much better sense of itself today because of the barriers that were broken. We serve in a Congress that is much more reflective today of this Nation than it would have been when Jackie Robinson broke the barrier. Congress takes this rightful moment, I think, to ensure that as we have deliberatively and time and again created a bit of an obstacle to getting these things done so that those who are undeserving might not secure this honor that we are going to bestow on Jackie Robinson, and rightly so. But I thank Members on both sides, the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) in particular, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) as well; and on our side the people who went out and got these signatures day in and day out to bring us to this moment.

This is a really nice thing for the Robinson family. It is a great thing for this Congress of the United States. But most importantly, it is a great thing for the country we all love, the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments of Jackie Robinson, who richly deserves the award of a Congressional Gold Medal as a pioneer in opening professional sports to all Americans. Like my colleagues, I am proud to remember him as an American hero.

But as a proud graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, I wanted to remind my colleagues that Jackie Robinson was already known to American sports fans even before he made history by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. In fact, he is one of UCLA's most distinguished alumni and was considered one of our nation's most important athletes during his college days.

Robinson's true passion was athletics and he excelled at every sport he tried. Regarded as the finest all-around athlete in the United States during his lifetime, he was the only Bruin to earn varsity letters in four sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball.

As a football player, at UCLA Robinson led the nation in punt return average in 1939 (16.5 yards) and 1940 (21.0 yards) and his career average of 18.8 yards ranks fourth in NCAA history. During his senior year he led UCLA in rushing (383 yards), passing (444 yards), total offense (827 yards), scoring (36 points) and punt returns (21.0 yards). In his career, he rushed for 954 yards (5.9 average) and passed for 449 yards.

As a basketball player, Robinson led Pacific Coast Conference's Southern Division in scoring in both 1940 (12.4 average in 12 league games) and 1941 (11.1 average in 12 league games) and was named All-PCC Southern Division in 1940.

Robinson's UCLA track career was abbreviated because he missed most of the 1940 season while playing baseball, but he still managed to win the NCAA title in the broad jump (24' 10\1/4\") as well as the broad jump at the Pacific Coast Conference meet with a leap of 25' 0".

He did not even consider baseball his best sport, but in his first collegiate game, he totaled four hits and stole four bases, including home base.

Despite his achievements in the realm of sports, Robinson, like other black athletes, was often confronted by the harsh realities of the times. I am proud to say that race was not an issue on Bruin teams, but in those days much of the rest of the nation wasn't as accepting. Ned Mathews, a football teammate of Robinson, recalled an incident at Stanford University where black athletes were turned away from dining in a restaurant. The Bruins left. ``If they didn't fit, we didn't fit,'' Mathews told the UCLA faculty newspaper, ``and that's the way it went.''

The support of his UCLA teammates and the heroism Jackie Robinson showed in facing this early discrimination would provide the foundation for his history-making career in major-league baseball. Shortly after his time in college, Robinson signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, ending decades of discrimination against blacks in the major leagues. In spite of enduring torment and abuse through much of his professional career, he remains one of the sport's all-time athletic stars. Robinson was posthumously named a charter member of UCLA's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.

Robinson once said ``A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.'' His impact on the sporting world and our nation cannot be overstated. By showing us that athletes--and indeed all Americans--should be judged by their talent and character rather than their skin color, Jackie Robinson's life has brought us closer to fulfilling our creed that ``all men are created equal.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1900, a bill to award a congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson (posthumously), in recognition of his many contributions to the Nation, and to express the sense of the Congress that there should be a national day in recognition of Jackie Robinson. Mr. Robinson was not only an amazing athlete he was a man of unsurpassed character and an agent of social change. On behalf of the people of the 18th Congressional District of Texas, I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of this bill. By posthumously awarding the congressional gold medal to Jackie Robinson, we are recognizing the achievements and the life of an exceptional man.

Mr. Robinson was born in 1919 in the state of Georgia. His parents were sharecroppers and he was the youngest of five children. During his rise as a student, an athlete, and a national hero, he would travel from coast to coast and from north to south across the country. While attending the University of California Los Angeles he was the first student to earn varsity letters in four sports; baseball, football, basketball, and track.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. During his first season, he won the National League's Rookie of the Year Award. In 1949, Jackie Robinson was also voted the National League's Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to note that a few weeks ago this body had occasion to honor Larry Doby. He was the second African American to play Major League baseball and the first to pay in the American League. It is wonderful that people's House should take time to honor both of these national heroes.

Now, after the 1956 season, Mr. Robinson retired from the game of baseball. In 1962, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the first African American player to receive that honor. Clearly, none can question Jackie Robinson's contributions to America's greatest pastime but many are unfamiliar with his achievements off the field of play.

Before entering Major League Baseball Jackie Robinson joined the United States Army. He earned the rank of first lieutenant in the Army, which was still segregated at that time. Mr. Robinson did not quietly accept such segregation. Rather he protested the Army's discriminatory practices. In fact, while stationed at Fort Hood, in Texas, Jackie Robinson was arrested when he refused a bus driver's order to move to the back of a bus. After court-martial, he was acquitted. Then, in 1944, Mr. Robinson received an honorable discharge from the Army.

Years later, after his career in baseball, Mr. Robinson dedicated himself full-time to the cause of civil rights. In fact, from 1964 to 1968 he served as special assistant for civil rights to Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York. Mr. Robinson also worked to promote African American business in Harlem. He even co-founded the Freedom National Bank of Harlem.

Sadly, Mr. Robinson passed away in 1972. He was survived by family, friends, and millions of fans. The epitaph inscribed on Mr. Robinson's gravestone is one that he wrote himself. It reads: ``A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.'' We thank Jackie Robinson for his selflessness, for the permanent impact he made upon our lives, and upon the basic fabric of this country. Mr. Speaker, we thank Mr. Robinson and we honor him.