Question

Baseball historian Jules Tygiel described Daytona Beach as "an island of enlightenment in a sea of bigotry. Explain what this means, and write about whether you agree with this statement or not. Give reasons from the text for your opinions.

Answer 1

According to a different source, this question refers to the text "Jackie Robinson's Experience in Florida."

In this text, we learn about the many instances of segregation and discrimination that Jackie Robinson had to tolerate throughout his career. In particular, we learn about Robinson's experiences in Florida. Although Robinson faced discrimination in many places, the author tells us that Daytona Beach was "an island of enlightenment in a sea of bigotry." This means that Daytona Beach was particularly accepting, even though the rest of the state was not.

I agree with this statement based on the text. The author provides some evidence to support this claim. We learn that Mary McLeod Bethune founded a school for African American girls in 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman College. We also learn that this school influenced Black people in the town to fight for their rights. Moreover, city officials never threatened to cancel a Royals game, nor did they try to keep Robinson from playing.