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"I can't believe something like this has happened to an ordinary person like me," Gabrielle Porter said Monday after posing at her middle school with two Detroit Tigers players. "It's really weird."
Niko Goodrum, Gabrielle Porter and Josh Harrison.
(Facebook photo: Bloomfield Hills School District)
Jeff Seidel of the Free Press was at West Hills Middle School in Bloomfield Hills during the visit by Niko Goodrum and Josh Harrison, who honored Porter for an award-winning tribute to Jackie Robinson, who would have turned 100 this year.
Porter’s essay finished in the top 10 in a national writing contest called "Breaking Barriers," a program that teaches students about obstacles faced by Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson as he broke baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. . . .
Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier 72 years ago, but his example and lessons are just as relevant today.
Goodrum and the honoree.
(Twitter photo: Detroit Tigers Foundation)
Porter cites his quiet dignity as one reason she didn't react forcefully when called the N-word last year.
"In that moment, I felt like Jackie Robinson," Porter wrote in her essay. "I know that each time he walked onto those baseball fields someone would shout something racist. . . .
"I will change the world just like Jackie Robinson did."
In addition to earning the visit from two players and the Paws mascot, the suburban student got a laptop computer and will be introduced at Comerica Park this evening before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mark Honeyman, her language arts teacher, will throw a ceremonial pitch and also got a laptop from the Detroit Tigers Foundation.
Graphic: Detroit Tigers