Jackie Robinson testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee

The House Un-American Activities Committee, a Congressional panel that investigated the actions of alleged communist sympathizers and subversives, suddenly summoned Robinson to testify before them in the summer of 1949. The request was made in response to a scandal involving the black musician and actor Paul Robeson, who had said that given how poorly African Americans had been treated in the United States, they were unlikely to support the war against the Soviet Union. Robinson gave a sophisticated statement criticizing communism and the sins of racism in response to a question about black allegiance to the American way of life. Robeson, whom he loved for his civil rights activism, had made "silly" remarks about black patriotism, he also kindly noted. The speech was well-received, but Robinson afterward expressed regret for becoming mixed up in the witch hunts being conducted by the Committee.

Jackie would change his mind regarding his evidence before HUAC toward the end of his life. "I have become wiser and closer to harsh truths about America's destructiveness," he said of one of several political decisions he later second-guessed. And I do have more respect for Paul Robeson now because I think he was genuinely trying to help his people over the course of those 20 years by sacrificing himself, his profession, and the wealth and comfort he formerly enjoyed. This is one of the most interesting facts about Jackie Robinson.