Sula Costa Daily NYC

Today is Opening Day -- a day that brings back a lot of memories of my father Jackie Robinson.

They are memories that my mother and I carried with us when, last week, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama invited us to join them on a trip to Havana, Cuba. It was an experience of a lifetime. We were thrilled and honored to be in their company and to witness our President extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people.

Our 48-hour itinerary took us through Old Havana, to a State dinner at the Palace of the Revolution, and to the El Gran Teatro de Havana for President Obama's speech to the Cuban people. Everywhere we traveled, I was touched by the response of our Cuban hosts, who lined the travel routes and enthusiastically greeted the President and his delegation. We waved back, squarely meeting their sense of hope with our own. The scene struck me as a sign of the beginning of a changing Cuba.

One of the highlights of our trip was the exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National team at Havana’s festive Estadio Latinamericano.

It brought back very personal memories of my father, Jackie Robinson, talking about his trip to Cuba in 1947, when the Brooklyn Dodgers trained in Havana.

At the time, Dad was a member of the Dodgers' farm team, the Montreal Royals. Branch Rickey arranged for him to fly to Cuba for an exhibition game, just a couple of months before he broke down baseball's color barrier in the United States. To me, this connection to my father almost brought me to tears. I was watching a baseball game in the same stadium nearly seventy years later -- and during another historic era.

Our parents raised my brothers and me with the understanding that the struggle for equality and social change was ongoing. As kids, we integrated our schools, marched alongside our parents in the 1963 March on Washington, and helped raise money for the Civil Rights Movement through a series of jazz concerts on our lawn in Stamford, Connecticut.

I wasn't in Havana in 1947, but it was my great fortune to be there in 2016 -- witnessing the early steps toward normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba. As I watched President Obama and my mother embrace, I was overcome with gratitude and pride for the President, the people of Cuba, Major League Baseball, and the unifying game of baseball.

My dad once said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." I am certain that the goodwill extended by this trip ultimately will impact the lives of millions. My father would be so happy that Mom and I were part of the story.

Sharon Robinson

This email was sent to info@sulacosta.com.
Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy
Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House
The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

Since President Obama entered public service, he’s been driven by a simple belief: in America, if you're willing to work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to get ahead and provide opportunities for your family.

That means you should be able to thrive at work and at home -- and that you shouldn't have to dent your paycheck, or risk losing your job, to be a good mom or dad, or care for your aging parent. And if you’re willing to work full time, you definitely shouldn’t be forced to live in poverty.

That's why the President has repeatedly called on Congress and leaders across our country in the public and private sectors to expand family-friendly workplace policies, such as paid family leave, paid sick days, equal pay for equal work, affordable child care, and a higher minimum wage.

We're thrilled that today, New York State answered the call and took an important step forward for working families when Governor Cuomo signed a budget that included paid family leave and an increase in the minimum wage.

With these measures, New York became the first state to create a paid family leave program since President Obama urged states to take action in 2014, as well as the 18th state to raise its minimum wage since he urged Congress to act in 2013.

The President knows working families cannot wait for Congress to move our country forward. That's why he's made progress on his own by raising the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors, strengthening overtime protections, and protecting employees of federal contractors from being retaliated against by their bosses if they discuss their wages.

Americans shouldn’t need to choose between their families and making ends meet. Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s and the state legislature’s leadership, New Yorkers will now move closer to never having to face that choice, by creating a culture that rewards hard work and empowers families.

I hope you’ll join us in celebrating this accomplishment.

Thanks for everything you do,

Valerie

Valerie Jarrett
Senior Advisor
The White House