Dr. Polite contributed the prologue and epilogue to “42 Essays on the Intersection of Race, Class, Spirituality, and Sport in ‘42: The Jackie Robinson Story.'” Here, he explains why he felt compelled to be a part of the work.
“I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with several scholars across the country in the chronicles of the story of one the most important people and events in U.S. and sport history,” Dr. Polite said, describing the project focused on Jackie Robinson, who ended racial segregation in baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. “The breaking of the color barrier in professional baseball was a monumental occurrence that coupled with the civil rights movement, illuminated many political, social and economic disparities in our country. This compilation dissects the movie ‘42’ and creates threads of thought along the lines of spirituality, race, class and sport in our society,” Polite added.
“I became involved with this project while at The University of Tennessee and working with my colleague Dr. Steven Waller, who holds a doctorate in divinity. We were intrigued by the intersection of sport and religion and how little had been discussed as it related to Jackie Robinson’s journey. The spiritual aspects of his struggle were paramount in him being able to endure the wrath of racism and prejudice. We felt compelled gather scholars from across the country to share insight into this issue. The role of spirituality and sport intersect in many dimensions. Particularly as it relates to the Civil Rights Movement, religion was a foundation to deal with the oppression and churches were the target of many racial attacks via bombings, burnings and vandalism. Blacks took solace within the church for sanctuary and comfort, while sport was a unifying agent for change. I felt humbled and honored to work on this project and it provided me with an opportunity to examine the role of religion, race and class.
“The impact of sport as it relates to our society intersects multiple spheres of our lives. This can be viewed by examining gender, race, religion, business, sociology, music, media and entertainment. This was a tremendous opportunity for me and I am blessed that I was able to contribute.”
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