Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson was an exceptional athlete, activist and businessman. In 1939 he enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and was the first athlete in school history to letter in four sports – football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. Jackie was drafted into the Army in 1942 and eventually became a lieutenant.

After the Army, Jackie played in the Negro Baseball League. Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, felt strongly about bringing African American players to the league and asked Jackie if he would consider playing for his team. Jackie was told he would be offered a contract if he had “guts enough not to fight back” when racial slurs were shouted from the stands or if players attempted to injure him on the field.

Despite enormous pressure, Robinson earned the Rookie of the Year award in his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In his second year, Jackie won the National League MVP award and batting title. Eventually, Jackie won respect and became an inspiration and a symbol of opportunity for all African Americans.

Mike Wiley ’04 (MFA) is a North Carolina-based actor, playwright and director of multiple works in documentary theatre, including “Leaving Eden,” “The Parchman Hour,” “Downrange: Stores From the Homefront,” “Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till,” the theatrical adaptation of “Blood Done Sign My Name” and more. The film adaptation of Wiley’s “Dar He,” in which he portrayed more than thirty roles, received more than forty major film festival awards around the globe. “The Parchman Hour” was selected as the closing event of the official 50th year anniversary commemoration of the Freedom Riders in Jackson, MS. Wiley has 20 years credits in providing documentary theatre for young audiences plus film, television and regional theatre. An Upward Bound alumnus and Trio Achiever Award recipient, he is an MFA graduate of The University of North Carolina and is a former Lehman-Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. He has conducted numerous educational residencies funded through grant programs of the North Carolina Arts Council and his plays have been selected for spotlight showcases by arts industry conferences throughout North America.

A gifted and visionary artist and communicator, Wiley’s overriding goal is expanding cultural awareness for audiences of all ages through dynamic portrayals based on pivotal moments in African-American history and, in doing so, helping to unveil a richer picture of the total American experience. Wiley was recipient of The University of North Carolina’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017. His most recent work “Leaving Eden,” premiered in spring of 2018, became the largest commissioned project ever undertaken by Playmakers Repertory Company and enjoyed a record-breaking run. Wiley’s ensemble cast original plays are available for licensed productions by theatres worldwide, and Wiley himself tours eight original one-person plays for student and adult audiences throughout North America.

Dr. Matthew Andrews ’09 (PhD) is a teaching associate professor and undergraduate advisor in the department of history at UNC. He is an American historian with an interest in the links between sports and American history and culture. Dr. Andrews is particularly interested in the ways sports both reflect and affect American politics, race and gender identities, and social reform movements.