Growing Up In Puerto Rico
Roberto Clemente was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Clemente grew up in the poor town of Barrio San Anton, Puerto Rico. The average income was $0.30 a day. Even though the Clementes were a middle-class family, they still had to work hard. There were lots of money struggles for Puerto Ricans. That didn't stop the neighborhood kids from having fun though. They used sticks off guava trees for baseball bats and a tightly knotted ball of rags for a baseball. Very rarely would anyone have any other toys besides these. If they did, kids worked very hard to get them. For instance, Roberto worked years earning just a penny a day, getting milk for his neighbor in order to buy a bicycle. For the Clementes, and all of Puerto Rico, work always came before play.
No Racial Border
In Puerto Rico, there was no racial border, all people were judged on who they were. Puerto Rico was a "stew" of different races - native Indians, whites and blacks. Over time, the races mixed, and families had members of many colors in them. Puerto Rico did not have the racial lines that were present in the United States in the 1950s. There were no separate restaurants, water fountains or bathrooms for blacks.
When Roberto came to America, he found it was not the same. He was extremely upset by prejudice. Joe Black, one of Clemente's teammates from Montreal, said, "The segregation came only when [Latin players] hit these borders. . . . It was shocking to them to realize that there are some stores you can't go in, and if you could go in to buy a coat, you can't try the coat on."
He was disrespected by the media, and often quoted in broken English. For Instance, when Roberto told reporters, "I get a hit", he would be quoted as "I geet a heet". Roberto would often say that he was equal to everyone else, but the media would make this humble comment sound like Roberto was being disrespectful to others. Clemente believed in equal rights and that everyone is important. One of Roberto's greatest obstacles was that he was black and Hispanic, which led to heavy prejudice.
When Roberto came to America, he found it was not the same. He was extremely upset by prejudice. Joe Black, one of Clemente's teammates from Montreal, said, "The segregation came only when [Latin players] hit these borders. . . . It was shocking to them to realize that there are some stores you can't go in, and if you could go in to buy a coat, you can't try the coat on."
He was disrespected by the media, and often quoted in broken English. For Instance, when Roberto told reporters, "I get a hit", he would be quoted as "I geet a heet". Roberto would often say that he was equal to everyone else, but the media would make this humble comment sound like Roberto was being disrespectful to others. Clemente believed in equal rights and that everyone is important. One of Roberto's greatest obstacles was that he was black and Hispanic, which led to heavy prejudice.