feel happy" (Davidson 15). For Jackie, the house contained one thing that mattered the most: "love" (Davidson 14). He grew up in a positive environment that would exhibit an affect on his life in years to come.
             During this time, America "was two worlds that were afraid of each other; life was unkind to black people who tried to bring together these worlds" (Aaron 104). Segregation made Robinson angry. He expressed this feeling by joining the Pepper Street Gang, made up by Japanese, Negroes, and Mexicans. The gang utilized its free time by stealing balls from a local golf course, swiping fruit from stores, and throwing dirt at passing cars (Davidson 16). Carl Anderson worked in shop across from where the gang spent most of its time. Anderson observed Robinson's actions and asked him, "How do you think your mother would feel if one day she had to watch you being taken off to jail (Davidson 18)?" From this point forward, Robinson left the gang. After this, sports enabled him to keep his balance. They gave him a "feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of doing something." Jackie was infuriated with intolerance and wanted to release his anger of being black in a white environment (Davidson 18-19). Sports helped "vanquish the stigma of race" (Early 2-3). Robinson's friends observed his brilliant athletic ability. One friend stated, "He was one of a kind. He was not just going to be a spectacular athlete, but was going to be different" (Davidson 5). With that, Robinson took his talent into Muir Technical High School, where he graduated in June 1937. In the following fall, he entered Pasadena Junior College. John Thurman, Karl Metton, and Tom Malley, the three coaches at Pasadena, were excited by Jackie's entrance. They thought that he displayed "potential greatness in every activity he tackled." During the fall, he played football. When that season was ...