by Director of Diversity Michelle Belton
The 6th grade diversity class became movie critics this fall as they watched, discussed, and reflected on the movie 42: The Jackie Robinson Story. The movie tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the African American baseball player who is the first to integrate the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team.
The movie wasn’t part of my original syllabus, but some of the students in my class had seen this movie, and it left a strong impression on them. They wanted to know if we could watch it as a class. It is important to me that the curriculum includes subjects that the students really want to discuss—talking about current events and culture deepens students’ understanding of concepts such as stereotypes, prejudice, bias, heritage, and activism. So, I began exploring the possibility and decided 42 would be well worth our time.
Before viewing the movie, students shared what they already knew about Jackie Robinson and the state of our nation in the late 1940’s. Students who had watched the film before with their families knew that challenging language was used, so we discussed the use of the “N” word and other derogatory language ahead of time.
Watching the movie over several class periods allowed students to ask clarifying questions and discuss their observations as the story unfolded.
The film gave us a common reference point around which we could share different perspectives, and it allowed us to dig deeper into this moment in history than we might have otherwise been able to. Also, using a feature film meant that we could begin to explore inherent bias and underlying messages in storytelling.
The movie was challenging for students. For some, this was very new information around segregation in professional sports. It was difficult to witness the meanness of some of Robinson’s teammates and fans of the game. But, their concern that Robinson would be harmed gave us an opportunity to discuss Robinson’s strength of character and other reasons why he was chosen to be the one to break the segregation line.
Students also researched the life of Jackie Robinson beyond his baseball career to learn of his activism in the Civil Rights Movement and his other major achievements such as helping to establish Freedom National Bank, an African- American-owned financial institution based in Harlem, New York.
At the end of the film study, 6th graders had to use their critical thinking skills to write a review, which had to answer the following questions:
• What is the central idea of the movie?
• What areas of diversity are addressed?
• How did the movie make you feel?
• How would you rate this film? Why?
Student critics rated the film highly, giving it an average of 4.5 stars. But, don’t just go by the numbers. These excerpts from some of their reviews will give you a glimpse into our rich discussions; let them inspire you to view the film for yourself!
“42 was a movie about Jackie Robinson’s first year in Major League Baseball and the different challenges he faced along the way from players, fans, and the press. Some of the different aspects of diversity in the movie included cultural differences and discrimination against race.” “This movie gave me a better understanding of what it was like for an African American to break the ‘rules’ and do something no one thought they could do.” “This movie about the great #42 awakened [in me] a deep sense of inequality, anger, and awe and respect for this great man who humanely withstood the criticism that was directed at him from so many people. . .” “The movie made me feel confused that even though Jackie Robinson was the best player on the team, he was still hated just because of the color of his skin.” “The movie made me feel empowered because Jackie Robinson kept doing what he loved and didn’t give up no matter how he was treated.”
