42: The True Story of an American Legend Food for Thought

1. Why do you think Branch Rickey initially tells everyone that bringing Jackie Robinson onboard is about bringing in more money from Black fans and winning more ball games? What do you think about this approach and why? 2. Like all change, socially just change requires adaptation. How do the various players of the Brooklyn Dodgers and other members of the league adapt differently to the addition of Jackie to the team? What happens to those who don’t adapt? 3. 42 is a story of courage, of standing stand up to situations and systems that are wrong but that are accepted and supported by those who wield the power. What are some parallels to today? Do we exhibit acts of courage against By By

injustice, even on much smaller scales, in our own WP:NFCC#4 lives? Can you think of a time you didn’t stand up but wish you did? Is there a way you can right that wrong now? , Fa ir use, use, ir 4. Both Jackie and Branch are gifted people – Jackie en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38476594 with talent, and Branch with money and influence. They chose to employ those gifts to change the world, even when they could have followed an easier path. What gifts do you have that could be used to change your workplace, your place of worship, your community, or the world? 5. Jackie’s first season begins to inspire change in young people who watch him play. Inspiration can be a real change activator. How can we inspire the people around us, even in small ways?

6. Are Jackie’s teammates, who at first do nothing when Jackie is ridiculed on the field, as guilty as the people who yell racial slurs? When we turn a blind eye to injustice, are we complicit? What are the consequences of that – for the individuals and for society as a whole? 7. After showing support for Jackie on the field, Pee Wee Reese receives a threatening letter, but when he takes the letter to Branch Rickey’s office, he learns that Jackie has received hundreds of mail threats. How can we try to better understand the day-to-day experiences of other people who hold other identities? Why does it matter that we try? 8. Is the public support that Jackie eventually receives from Pee Wee Reese important? Why or why not? 9. Actions speak louder than words – even small day-to-day actions. What do your actions say? What would you like them to say? Is there a disparity? What could you do to bring those two things into alignment?

Adapted from “42: Discussion Questions” posted by Pendarvis Harshaw at https://hestories.info/42-discussion- questions.html