Larry Doby To Be Honored
- PostEagle
- December 28, 2018
- Uncategorized
- 0 Comments
To the Editor:
A proud product of Northern New Jersey, Larry Doby spent his life breaking barriers. Larry was just the second player to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball and integrate pro sports, following Jackie Robinson’s debut by less than three months. Facing unfathomable cruelty and racism from the public and even from his own teammates, Doby stood on the diamond so that other black athletes who would follow him would enjoy better opportunities. He succeeded, and in so doing also helped bring America forward at the dawn of the Civil Rights Era.
For two decades, I have worked with hundreds of colleagues in the House and Senate to see that Larry be appropriately recognized for his contributions to our country. In July, we successfully passed legislation in the House that would award Larry a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal and, just last week, in culmination of our years of efforts, the Senate passed that same legislation. It will now be signed by the President into law, with a Capitol ceremony sometime in 2019.
For too long, Larry Doby’s courageous contributions to American civil rights have been overlooked. Awarding him this medal from our national legislature will give his family and his legacy more well-deserved recognition for his heroism.
Sincerely,
Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Member of Congress (NJ-09)
