Jemele Hill Makes Opinion On Mina Kimes Criticism Very Clear
03/22/2025 04:00 PM
On Wednesday's episode of "Around the Horn" this week, ESPN's Mina Kimes chose to use her face time to make a point about the recent attempt by the Trump administration to scrub the history of Jackie Robinson's military service.
Robinson's legend was not only about his athletic feats and selfless acts, but also about the racism he endured in the midst of them — something Kimes pointed out on-air during her segment.
"Jackie Robinson was known for many things. But, above all, first and foremost, it was his ongoing courage in the face of racial discrimination. In fact, in addition to crossing the color barrier in baseball, he served in a segregated unit in the army and, in one instance, refused to move to the back of the bus, was arrested and acquitted," Kimes explained. "That matters. That history cannot be erased. It cannot be undone. And it must be recognized to fully understand and celebrate his legacy."
You cannot tell the story of Jackie Robinson--the ballplayer, serviceman, or human--without acknowledging our country's history of racial discrimination.
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 19, 2025
From @AroundtheHorn: pic.twitter.com/k5HY7v9gbp
For many years these were seen as an uncontroversial facts. However, Mina has recently seen herself become the subject of scorn from the American right wing — and some have even called for her to lose her job over her comments.
One person who came to her defense was former ESPN colleague and contributing writer for The Atlantic, Jemele Hill, who posted a lengthy response to X about those coming for Kimes on social media.
"We're in a sad and terrible place when defending Jackie Robinson's amazing legacy is considered controversial or something fireable. JR had to fight for his military reputation because of … racism. When he integrated MLB, he had to fight against … racism. He spent his post-MLB life also fighting against … racism," Hill stated.
"These are just the facts and if some people out there can't handle hearing this truth, that's a poor reflection on them, not Mina Kimes," she concluded.
Not much more needs to be said than that.
Related: Terry Bradshaw Refuses To Apologize For Changing Political Parties
