Westport Essay Contest shows how Jackie Robinson's legacy still swings today

More than 75 years after Jackie Robinson smashed Major League Baseball's color barrier, his achievements and heir continue to inspire. This spring was exhibited at Westport Library this spring.

In cooperation with the Westport Center for Senior Activities and Mandy Moss Media, the library started a new essay competition that invites the residents for 60 years and can explore Robinson's permanent effects.

As part of the library, a Civic forum, the competition was promoted to the conversations on timely questions.

The competition asked the participants to answer the question: “Jackie Robinson is an icon of equality and civil rights. What does that say about the power of his inheritance, the place of sport in our culture and about our modern society?”

Robinson, who lived with his family in her house in Connecticut in North Stamford until his death in 1972, wrote history on April 15, 1947 when he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson was the first African American player in the modern era of the Major League Baseball.

In the course of his career in Hall of Fame, Robinson scored more than 1,500 goals, Stahl 197 bases and was appointed Rookie of the Year and National League MVP. But his influence went far beyond the baseball.

According to Jackie Robinson Museum, he later became the first Black manager of a large American company. He also served as a consultant for the political leader and became an iconic personality in sports and civil rights.

Among the submitted essays, six were appointed winner by a jury jury. Tony Sanches, whose essay “Life Lessons” brought him a limited, full size, Jackie Robinson Hall of Fame induction.

“Although I was too young to see Jackie,” said Sanches, “the lessons that my parents taught me about perseverance, hard work and dignity were how Jackie Robinson lived his life.”

Sanches, who comes from Puertorican and Jamaican descent, remembered his childhood in a particularly white suburb of Long Island at the end of the 1960s. He wrote about racism, which he endured as a little boy and how Robinson's story repeated similar topics.

“You know there were many parallels to Jackie's life and my life,” said Sanches. “And in my essay, I speak of being at the receiving end of racist mockery.[the] Jackie also had to prove herself every day. There were many living lessons that he conveyed to us to an entire group. “

According to EJ Crawford, director of marketing and communication at Westport Library, the competitive entries were thoughtful and often deeply personal.

“They were all, I think, thoughtful and funny. They all had an element of personal connection to Jackie Robinson's story that I felt really authentic and nice for us,” said Crawford.

In addition to Sanchien, the other winners of the opening competition Steve Karp, Jim Alkon, William Field, Martin Evdheim and Holly Goss were beds.

While the judges were impressed by the entire field, Crawford said that Sanches's entry has emerged because of its emotional weight and clarity.

“Tony ,, [which] In the end he won, was definitely a really, really strong piece, “said Crawford.

All winning attachments together with Sanches can now be seen on the library's website at Westportlibrary.org