No wonder Roberto continued to return home to Puerto Rico where he was welcomed back by adoring fans! Prior to a fatal plane crash that cut short his life at 38, he evolved into a beloved humanitarian. They each faced fans who openly displayed their disdain for difference. Unfortunately Jackie’s arrival, followed by multiple baseball pioneers like Larry Doby ( Just as Good, 2012) and Roy Campanella ( Campy, 2007), did little to ease Roberto’s entrance into our nation’s favorite pastime. This was because Jackie’s entrance into the major leagues occurs on my son’s birthday, April 15. I also wondered–what were the major differences between the Black guy from Puerto Rico and the Black guys from the mainland? What triggered such high levels of discrimination?ĬHARLENE: These questions could easily launch an exploration of the Negros Leagues (1880s-1940s) and notable Pittsburgh teams like the Homestead Grays.Įven though I live near Pittsburgh, I admit that my son and I explored Jackie Robinson’s career more than Clemente’s. While reading, I wanted to learn more about the struggles other teammates encountered. I remember several other black players on the 1970s Pittsburgh Pirates’ team. RENÉ: Jonah Winter highlights Clemente’s marvelous sports feats but also tells us how those efforts were ignored by many fans and the media. Yet, it ironically also reveals the City of Champions’ struggle to accept a sports figure who did not fit into their world view. I did not know that for many Yinzers, he was always seen as that Black-Puerto Rican.ĬHARLENE: This historical picturebook portrays the passion and pride this Puerto Rican brought to baseball. In my eyes, Roberto was someone who made it big time.
I never realized that his Major League baseball career was mined with such hardships–open discrimination, slurs from the crowds, blunt curses about the color of his skin and the mockery of his accent. The big glowing number on the screen was so memorable. Winter chronicles the depth of Roberto’s accomplishments along with some hardships he endured.Īs an 8-year-old boy in Puerto Rico, I remember enjoying Clemente’s 3,000th baseball hit as I laid on the floor of my parent’s living room. Unlike our newcomer Arturo Schomburg, whom we discussed last week, a leader who overcame racial hostility, Roberto Clemente’s sports career in northeastern United States was plagued with injustice. RENÉ: Let’s begin with Jonah Winter’s thought-provoking text. Their stories of struggle and success parallel our new generation’s aspirations. On several levels these well-known Latin Americans’ lives reflect the inhospitable circumstances facing many immigrants today. The other one, Roberto Clemente, de alla (from there) was born on the island nonetheless both are Puerto Ricans. The first, Tito Puente, portrays de aqui (from here) since he was born in Spanish Harlem. Our Week 2 conversation focuses on the contributions of two acclaimed Puerto Ricans. We want to reveal how Puerto Rico “is a human archipelago… self-assertive, puzzling and contradictory.” The books are selected to allow readers to uncover more layers of idiosyncrasies. This July, René Picó and Charlene Klassen Endrizzi delve into the cultural complexities of the Puerto Rican experience.