People Who Persevered
by: Katie Fujii
What is Perseverance?
Perseverance can be defined as not giving up, even if times are tough. This newsletter will talk about a few individuals who showed great courage and persevered. Hopefully, this will inspire you to persevere as well.
Jackie Robinson's Adversities
Jackie Robinson went through several adversities. First, his society did not treat African Americans well, so he had to deal with constant bullying and inequality. Then, Jackie found his love of baseball. During this time, Branch Rickey was looking for an African American baseball player to compete in major league baseball. After that, Branch found Jackie. Branch thought that Jackie would be perfect for his "noble experiment," which was his plan to break the color barrier in the MLB, since the society was divided. Branch talked to Jackie about how everybody would give him a hard time since he was black Once Jackie joined the Dodgers, he did not get a warm welcome from his teammates. In this time period, it was not uncommon for a black person to be beaten and mistreated by a white person, and that's exactly what Jackie's teammates did.
Finishing the Race
Derek Redmond was an Olympic competitor. During one competition, Derek tore his hamstring. At first, he didn't know what do to, but he figured how how to fix his problem. He decided to muster his courage, and he kept going through the race. Most people would've let medical experts help them immediately, but this was his way of overcoming his adversity. Derek's father even pushed through security and helped Derek finish the race.
The Boy Who Played Baseball
Josiah Viera was born with progeria, a genetic disease that accelerates the aging process. Doctors told Josiah's mother that his life expectancy was between eight and thirteen years, but that didn't stop him Josiah may have this rare disorder, but because of this, Josiah found his passion—baseball. Josiah's family said that Josiah would always play baseball despite his disorder. Since he played baseball with this disorder, people everywhere were inspired by his store. People felt like they could do anything. Josiah's perseverance has inspired everyone, and will always continue to do so.
In Conclusion...
All of these people persevered through their adversities, but they all deemed triumphant in the end. They all resolved their problems, and you can too. As long as you persevere, you can get through anything. As Confucius once said, "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."