Michael Long, associate professor of Religious Studies and Peace & Conflict Studies at Elizabethtown College, appears in Ken Burns’ “Jackie Robinson,” airing April 11 and 12 on PBS. Long’s commentary is included Tuesday night in Episode 2 of the four-part documentary about the first African American to play in the major leagues.
Earlier in April, Long, a sought-after Jackie Robinson expert, served on a preview panel at a screening of the film at the Clipper Stadium in Lancaster. Long was joined by local historians and experts to talk about the man who broke boundaries and stereotypes in 1947, when Brooklyn Dodgers signed Robinson to a major league contract.
Since Long released the book “Beyond Home Plate: Jackie Robinson on Life After Baseball,” in the summer of 2013, he has since been an expert speaker on the influential life of the athlete who was influential in breaking the color lines in America.
Long’s book explores the after-baseball life of Jackie Robinson who continued is sporting ways as a writer for New York Post and the New York Amsterdam News. And, as Long describes, Robinson believed his lifelong battle for civil rights for all African Americans was far more important than all of his baseball exploits put together.
As a College professor, Long teaches classes that include study of the relationship between Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights movement.
“Jackie Robinson” beginning, locally, at 9 p.m. Monday, April 11, on WITF, tells the tale of the humble beginnings of the athlete and includes personal interviews with Robinson’s wife, Rachel Robinson, and their children.