"I used to tell Jackie (Robinson) sometimes when they were throwing at him, 'Jackie, they aren't throwing at you because you are black. They are throwing at you because they don't like you"

This quote by Pee Wee Reese is a testimony to the strength as well as durability of Jackie Robinson. Reese was a colleague of Robinson's and was among the few people that stood up for him in the face of bigotry. He was trying to encourage Robinson to not take the racism directly and also to understand that individuals tossing at him were doing so since they really did not like him, not due to his race. Reese was attempting to show Robinson that he was appreciated as well as admired by his colleagues and that the bigotry he was encountering was not a representation of his character. This quote is a pointer of the toughness and also nerve it took for Robinson to break the color obstacle in Major League Baseball as well as to stand up for himself despite misfortune. It is a suggestion of the power of relationship as well as the value of defending what is right.