Jerry Reinsdorf, Kenny Williams Speak To High Schoolers About Jackie Robinson
(CBS) -- White Sox executives spoke to some Chicago high school athletes about bringing change as part of Major League Baseball's Jackie Robinson Day, reports WBBM's Nancy Harty.
White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf grew up a Dodgers fan in Brooklyn and saw Jackie Robinson play the year he broke the color barrier. The Brooklyn native said unlike the rest of the country, people didn't focus on race in his diverse borough.
"It wasn't that big of a deal. The question was: could he play?" said Reinsdorf.
Kenny Williams was the first African-American general manager in Chicago sports history. The Sox executive vice president said he would like to see the last color barrier broken in major league baseball : ownership.
"It is part of my responsibility to, at least while I'm still in the game, to pursue that as the next step," said Williams.
Williams and Reinsdorf were part of a panel that spoke to athletes from Simeon, Seton, Kenwood, King and Leo high schools on the anniversary of Robinson's Major League debut.