Erasing Jackie Robinson

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Jason, All of a sudden this week, a page on the Department of Defense website disappeared.  It was the story of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the color barrier in baseball, and his Army service during World War II. When asked about it, the Pentagon issued this statement (and I really wish this wasn't real): DEI is dead at the Defense Department. Discriminatory Equity Ideology is a form of Woke cultural Marxism that has no place in our military. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services' core warfighting mission… To these guys, Jackie Robinson is DEI.  Well, that's exactly the spirit in which most bigots welcomed Robinson to the big leagues 78 years ago. To some extent, I'm grateful that this administration has decided to take their masks off and show us who they truly are.  Robinson's story didn't begin that day in April 1947, and it didn't end there either. Jackie Robinson changed the world. He was exposed to a constant barrage of racist behavior, but he refused to stoop to their ugliness. He played like a revelation. And slowly, he changed minds — even winning over teammates who had greeted his arrival by demanding to be traded. He paved the way for others and helped expose the laughable ignorance of segregation. When all was said and done, Jackie Robinson was a 6-time All-Star, an MVP, a World Series champion, and a Hall of Famer.  In fact, not a single player in Major League Baseball will wear his number, 42, again — except every April 15th, Jackie Robinson Day, when every player wears it in his honor. That's how important Jackie Robinson is to the national pastime. It's how important Jackie Robinson is to the idea of America. It took a day of outrage, but the Defense Department finally put Robinson's story back up. Here's the thing: Countless other pages remain deleted, telling stories of other heroes who just happened not to be white men. And I gotta say: For a group of people who whined about the erasure of history when we tore down Confederate statues, they sure don't seem to mind literally erasing history. But when they do this, it's not just history they're erasing. They're erasing inspiration. Take it from me. When I was younger in the military, my idols — alongside the standard John Glenns and Alan Shepards — were people like Rosemary Mariner and Matice Wright, women pioneers in naval flight. They aren't necessarily household names, but I knew who they were because the military proactively promoted their stories. Knowing their stories inspired me, a teenager who had just enlisted, to dream bigger. The military showed me what was possible, and I took them up on that promise. For people like Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth, the most charitable thing you can say is they just don't get it. (There are simpler, far worse explanations.) They can't or won't see the big picture — how the stories of Jackie Robinson or the Tuskegee Airmen make America stronger. The more kids in this country can see themselves in our country's heroes, and want to be heroes themselves, the better off we are.  The pushback against this nonsense isn't just about restoring these stories to their rightful places. This administration is starting outrages everywhere just to keep us busy.  It takes a relentless, persistent fight — one focused not just on winning website battles, but on winning back majorities. That's what we're building, and I hope you can help by making a donation today. As you can tell, this is personal for me. And I'm not going anywhere. Thank you for being in this fight alongside me,  Amy DONATE   PAID FOR BY DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY ACTION (DMAPAC.COM) NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE. Democratic Majority Action 814 Main St Paris, KY 40361 United States These emails are the single best way to stay up to date on how you can help Democratic Majority Action win elections for Democrats. We know you receive a lot of emails—that's why we strive to treat every supporter's inbox with respect, to always tell you the truth, and to never inundate you with unwanted messages. If you believe you received this message in error or no longer wish to receive these email updates, please can unsubscribe.