On July 6, 1944, eleven years before Rosa Parks famously refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama and ignited the Civil Rights Movement, Lieutenant Jack Roosevelt Robinson made the same protest, which earned him a court martial for “behaving with disrespect” and “willful disobedience of lawful command.” After he was acquitted from these charges and was honorably discharged, he started his career in baseball with the Kansas City Monarchs. His continuing baseball career would go on to break the color barrier and provide the momentum to the desegregation movement that would extend beyond baseball.
The Blackwing 42 is a tribute to Jack Roosevelt Robinson, better known as Jackie Robinson. The number 42 stands for Jackie Robinson’s jersey number on the Brooklyn Dodgers, and honors those who pursue their passions regardless of the obstacles in their way. It features a home white finish, blue and red imprint, road grey ferrule, blue eraser, and balanced graphite.