Biography

Rachel Robinson was born on July 19, 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was previously married to Jackie Robinson.

Widow of Jackie Robinson.

Mother, with Jackie Robinson, of Jackie Robinson Jr., Sharon Robinson and David Robinson.

[on Martin Luther King's speech] We listened very carefully to the words as if they were almost like instructions. We all wanted to do something, and we wanted to have goals that we were going to work toward. And the speech gave a lot of ideas in terms of that. It wasn't just a spiritual thing. It was also very informative and instructive. We were looking ahead for leadership and he was offering it.

[on being part of 'The March on Washington', August 28, 1963]The spirit in the whole setting was so exciting, so positive, so hopeful that something was going to happen. We felt very enthusiastic about everything. We were happy to wait and find a seat, and delighted when we found one up front so we could see the procedure and we could hear the speeches. It turned out to be an extraordinary experience for all of us - for the children and for Jack and I - because we had never worked on anything of that magnitude or seen that kind of support for equal opportunities, which is what we had been hoping for for many years.