Franks left out facts in Robinson op-ed

Gary Franks’ piece on Jackie Robinson’s passionate activism [Opinion, April 24, “A lasting legacy”] was a simultaneously deserving tribute and partisan sleight of hand.

While listing Robinson’s groundbreaking accomplishments, Franks manages to mention that the first Black major-league ballplayer was also a Republican who “sparked a walkout of Black delegates” at the 1964 GOP convention over presidential candidate Barry Goldwater’s lack of support for the Civil Rights Act.

Franks adds, “The vast majority of Republican senators voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, much more so than their Democratic Senate counterparts.”

What Franks fails to mention, however, is that out of 1,308

GOP delegates, only 14 were

Black. Further, he ignores how the Republican and Democratic parties at the time would soon flip their civil rights ideologies due to the “Southern strategy” in which Republicans used fear to attract white Democrats — “Dixiecrats” — who rejected the call for integration. By 1968, in fact, Robinson refused to support Richard Nixon as the GOP presidential candidate.

Gary Franks deserves credit for recognizing the enduring legacy of Jackie Robinson on the 75th anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in baseball. He could have done so, however, in a more honest fashion.