Martin Luther King Day for 2023 will be celebrated on Monday, Jan. 16. Like me, he was born and raised in Atlanta, and educated in Atlanta Public Schools.
Did you know that Jackie Robinson was also born in Georgia? He played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. According to Wikipedia, the Civil Rights Movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the US to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination and disenfranchisement throughout the United States.
As a child, I often was told that in order to be successful in life, I would have to excel at academia like Martin Luther King. When I was taught about the life of Jackie Robinson, I learned you can excel in academics and athletics.
Baseball is a powerful tool—one that can teach social emotional learning capacities such as:
- Contribution
- Goal orientation
- Positive identity
- Self-confidence
- Self-efficacy
- Self-management
- Social capital
- Social connections
- Social skills
With another Major League Baseball season right around the corner, it is important to understand that baseball doesn’t just build character; it exposes it.
Being an elite baseball player can come along with fame and fortune, so be sure to use that fame and fortune to do good in the world. Success is based on what you get and significance is what you give.
Remember, skills pay the bills.
For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.
C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.
