Both Jessica Mendoza and Jackie Robinson accomplished many things intheir lives. Jessica Mendoza is an athlete that competed in both baseball and softball. She also became a sportscaster after she retired. She won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics. She also won a silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Jackie Robinson and Jessica Mendoza both broke the color barrier. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Promises to Keep, by Sharon Robinson, on page 28 tells us, "On August 28, 1945, my father,  who was playing baseball for the negro leagues Kansas City Monarchs, met Branch Ricky to discuss playing for the Dodgers." This explains that Jackie was chosen by the baseball commissioner to be the one to break the color barrier. Jessica Mendoza also broke the color barrier as a sportscaster. Knightcommission.org says, "Olympics gold silver medalist and trailblazer Jessica Mendoza joined ESPN in 2007 and in 2015 became the first woman to serve as an analyst for nationally-televised MLB games and became one of the leading voices ESPN’s major league baseball coverage.” This explains that Jessica Mendoza and Jackie Robinson both broke the color barrier and achieved what they wanted to do.

Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play Major League baseball. Promises to Keep says, " "On April 5, 1947, my father Jack Roosevelt Robinson stepped out of the Brooklyn Dodgers dugout crossed first base, and assumed his position as first baseman. He paused, hands resting on bent knees, toes pointed in then stood lifted his cap, and saluted the cheering crowd. It was a defining moment for baseball and all Americans." This explains that Jackie was the first African American to play in the Majors. Jessica Mendoza was a woman, we fought for her place among a sea of men to become a sportscaster with the acclaimed ESPN. According to ESPN, “Mendoza in 2020 became the first woman to serve as a World Series game analyst on national radio as she joined the MLB on ESPN Radio team for the World Series.” This explains that Mendoza broke many gender barriers on her way to becoming a great sportscaster.

         Jackie Robinson and Jessica Mendoza are both important people on America’s path to equality. Jackie Robinson helped to change America for the better by breaking the color barrier in 1947 he started America on its path of desegregation. Jessica Mendoza also broke barriers as she rose to become an amazing sportscaster.