The sincerity and grace displayed in this letter is something I've come to expect from Jackie Robinson. He was not only a trailblazer in the field of civil rights and in the game we love, but he was also a man who had the humility to understand his role in the world and how he can help shape it. As you can see in the letter above, current available at auction thought RR Auctions (link here), he thoughtfully let a fan know how important his letter was and how it affected him.
Below is what he wrote:
Dear Mr. Shaw,
I may have written you before about the letter you wrote Miss Day. I can say it was so well done and I only wish I had fans such as you that when you felt they were wrong would write letters just as the one you wrote. We in public life need reminders such as yours and I assure you that type of letter is more effective.
Incidentally I was very much impressed with your ideas on the injuries. I would appreciate it if you felt I need some advice to write because I believe we owe all our success to the public and have a responsibility to you.
Sincerely, Jackie RobinsonUnfortunately, we don't have Mr. Shaw's original letter to Ms. Day, so we aren't exactly familiar with its context. Nevertheless, I think it's fair to surmise that Mr. Shaw had shown the same kind of sincerity that prompted Jackie to reach out and say not only 'thank you' but also express how important his message was to him.
I wish we had more Mr. Shaw's and Jackie's in the world today. It sometimes seems like our ability to address and admit our faults in todays world gets lost through our prism of social media and outrage news.
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