Free Minds and Hearts at Work
by Jackie Robinson
At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion, when the National Anthem was played.
This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else. This is organized major league baseball, and I am standing here with all the others; and everything that takes place includes me.
About a year later, I went to Atlanta, Georgia, to play in an exhibition game. On the field, for the first time in Atlanta, there were Negroes and whites. Other Negroes, besides me. And I thought: What I have always believed has come to be.
And what is it that I have always believed? First, that imperfections are human. But that wherever human beings were given room to breathe and time to think, those imperfections would disappear, no matter how slowly. I do not believe that we have found or even approached perfection. That is not necessarily in the scheme of human events. Handicaps, stumbling blocks, prejudices — all of these are imperfect. Yet, they have to be reckoned with because they are in the scheme of human events.
Whatever obstacles I found made me fight all the harder. But it would have been impossible for me to fight at all, except that I was sustained by the personal and deep-rooted belief that my fight had a chance. It had a chance because it took place in a free society. Not once was I forced to face and fight an immovable object. Not once was the situation so cast-iron rigid that I had no chance at all. Free minds and human hearts were at work all around me; and so there was the probability of improvement. I look at my children now, and know that I must still prepare them to meet obstacles and prejudices.
But I can tell them, too, that they will never face some of these prejudices because other people have gone before them. And to myself I can say that, because progress is unalterable, many of today's dogmas will have vanished by the time they grow into adults. I can say to my children: There is a chance for you. No guarantee, but a chance.
And this chance has come to be, because there is nothing static with free people. There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from flowing forward. I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed in spite of any handicap. That would be perfection. But I do believe — and with every fiber in me — that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today; and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow.
I believe in the human race. I believe in the warm heart. I believe in man's integrity. I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that the society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it — and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist.
My fight was against the barriers that kept Negroes out of baseball. This was the area where I found imperfection, and where
I was best able to fight. And I fought because I knew it was not doomed to be a losing fight. It couldn't be a losing fight-not when it took place in a free society.
And in the largest sense, I believe that what I did was done for me — that it was my faith in God that sustained me in my fight. And that what was done for me must and will be done for others.
自由思想與心靈的作用
傑基·羅賓遜
1947年的世界職業棒球大賽開賽那天，當美國國歌奏響的那一刻，我產生了一種全新的情感。這一次，國歌是為我而奏，就像為其他人奏一樣。我終於能和其他人一樣，站在職業棒球大聯盟球賽的賽場上，成為這一切的一部分。
大約一年以後，我參加了在喬治亞州首府亞特蘭大舉辦的一次棒球表演賽。這是亞特蘭大的賽場上第一次同時出現白人和黑人運動員。除我之外，還有其他黑人選手。那一刻，我一直堅守的信念終於實現了。
我一直堅守的信念是什麼呢？首先，我知道人類不可避免會有缺陷。但只要人類有一息尚存，只要人類還能思考，這些缺陷一定會逐漸消失，無論過程會多么漫長。我並不認為我們已經到達或正在接近完美無缺的境界。完美無缺的境界並非人類社會不可或缺的一部分。有些缺陷，例如殘疾、障礙和偏見，在人類社會中都存在，也就需要我們勇敢地去面對。
我一路上遇到的阻礙都促使我更加努力地去抗爭、去奮鬥。然而，如果不是我內心深處堅信我的奮鬥有希望，我就根本無法堅持。我的奮鬥有希望，因為這是一個自由的社會。在這裡，我不止一次遇到過無法逾越的障礙，也不止一次經歷過令人絕望的境況。但那時，思想與心靈的自由便能起作用，讓我擺脫困境。如今我看著自己的孩子們，我知道我仍需要他們準備面對困難與歧視。
然而，我可以告訴他們，正因為前人的努力奮鬥，他們今後不必再經受我們現在承受的某些偏見。我也告訴自己，社會進步是必然的，當我的孩子們長大成人時，現在社會上的許多教條一定會消失。因此，我可以告訴我的孩子們：你們有希望——我不敢保證什麼，但肯定有希望。有自由思想的人決不會停滯不前，所以你們有希望。再也沒有中世紀強大荒謬的邏輯能阻擋人類歷史的潮流滾滾向前。我並不認為從事任何職業的任何人都能排除一切障礙獲得成功——這樣的完美不現實。但我的確有一條堅定不疑的信念——我現在所做到的一切是因為我們能夠拋開從前的教條（無論多么緩慢），能探尋當下的真理，也許還能發現未來的美好。
我相信人類。
我相信熱誠的心。
我相信人們的正直與誠實。
我相信自由社會中的美德。
我相信只要我們願意為之奮鬥，願意與所存在的缺陷抗爭到底，這個社會就能永遠美好。
棒球比賽將黑人拒之門外就是人類社會的一種缺陷。既然我有這個能力，我就要和這種現象抗爭到底。我抗爭，因為我知道這場戰鬥並非注定以失敗告終。
這場戰鬥不會失敗——在一個自由社會中這場戰鬥不可能失敗。
大而言之，我所做到的一切都市上蒼的眷顧——正是我對上帝的信仰支撐著我，給我抗爭的勇氣。我相信被眷顧的不僅僅是我一個人，而應是、也將是我們所有人。