Bryan Hernandez
Professor Rigolino
Writing & Rhetoric
24 February 2020
Roberto Clemente
Source 1:
Lomax, Michael. Roberto Clemente: Images, Identity, Legacy. University Press of Mississippi 2008.
Lomax presents an article that covers many aspects of the civil rights movement and prominent figures within it. There’s a chapter in which Lomax explains the life of Roberto Clemente and his role in the civil rights movement. Although Roberto Clemente moved to the U.S with the intent to pursue a major league career in baseball, he became aware of a greater service. Similar to many oppressed individuals during this time period, he felt discouraged by racial discrimination. Clemenete came from impoverished roots and understood the role racism played in his upbringing. He even connected the movement to his profession by making individuals aware of the discrimantion within baseball. White men were simply provided with more opportunities in comparison to minorities. He shed light on important issues because “His role and heroic legacy also brought into focus the delicate balance between race and status.” (Lomax) Clemente changed the trajectory of an athlete’s purpose, and became a civil rights activist.
This chapter in the book is a perfect fit for the research project. Lomax provides readers with an in depth explanation of Clemente’s view on civil rights. It strays away from describing Clemente’s profession as much as possible and instead explains his role in the movement. The book gives a clear explanation as to why white baseball players received more opportunities than minority players. Proposing a movie about Clemente will create an insightful look on the civil rights in sports. Clemente is among the ranks of individuals like Jackie Robinson, MLK, and John Lewis, however many individuals are unaware of that. This movie will shed light on a breakthrough moment within sports and american history.
Source 2:
Fikes, Robert Jr. Breathing while Black: rude and frightful encounters with the police recalled by distinguished African Americans. Journal of Pan African Studies 2012.
Fikes details several encounters that Roberto Clemte faced during his lifetime. He refers specifically to moments where Clemente experienced disrimnation on and off the baseball field. Despite his prestigious career, Clemente’s teammates would often discourage him by refusing to engage in a social relationship with the star. Clemente would gain respect from his clubhouse after he established himself as one of baseball’s great players. Policemen would closely spectate Clemente, refer to him as “boy”, and even deny him the right to give fans autographs. Clemente endured many forms of racism, from discrimantion in his own clubhouse to law enforcement closely supervising him. Even fans of baseball would play active roles in discriminating against the Puerto Rican native. Clemente recalls some fans treating him in hostile ways. Fans who opposed Clemente being in the MLB would mail him “letters of hate, warning him that he should return to his “jungle.”(Fikes) These unnecessary and dehumanizing actions caused Clemente to take an active role in activism.
Although this is a relatively short article to include in my project, it was the first article that I came across that described Clemente’s personal experience with discrimantion. Fikes refers to a specific scenario that was confirmed to be true, and he provides a separate source specifically on Roberto Clemente. The source provided will be beyond useful and beneficial for the research project, along with scenarios Fikes already discussed. These articles will help to create a visual representation of Clemente’s battle with discrimanation during a crucial time in history .

Works Cited
Fikes, Robert, Jr. “Breathing while Black: rude and frightful encounters with the police recalled by distinguished African Americans, 1860-2012.” Journal of Pan African Studies, vol. 5, no. 5, 2012, p. 41+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A306357765/AONE?u=newpaltz&sid=AONE&xid=b1027527. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

Sports and the Racial Divide : African American and Latino Experience in an Era of Change, edited by Michael Lomax, University Press of Mississippi, 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/newpaltz-ebooks/detail.action?docID=619204.