Hank Aaron Delivers A Powerful Message To The Youth Amid Civil Rights Protests

At 86, any time Hank Aaron makes a live appearance, it is a celebrated event. In the era of COVID-19, the 86-year-old Hall of Famer recently got behind the screen to join former Atlanta Braves All-Star Brian Jordan for an intimate talk on Facebook Live.

Aaron was at the forefront of the civil rights movement as a baseball player. His career started in 1952 with the Negro Leagues’ Indianapolis Clowns, playing three months as an 18-year-old before the Milwaukee Braves signed him into their organization. He helped to integrate the minor leagues, as he, along with four other Jacksonville teammates, broke the Sally League’s color barrier in 1954.

In the wake of the protests across the country, Aaron recalled questioning whether he should have marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He explained how a friend convinced him to stay on the field.

“It was kind of tough,” Aaron said during Jordan’s Facebook Live interview. “Dr. King was getting ready to march in Washington. I said to myself, ‘Should I do the marching or what?’ … I had a friend of mine call and say, ‘Hey, you’re doing just about as much as you can do right now by not marching. By you playing baseball, you’re breaking the rules and doing all these other things.’”

Aaron forged an iconic 23-year major league career that left him baseball’s home run king at retirement. While he chased Babe Ruth’s home run record, Aaron endured death threats while fans spewed racial epithets from the stands. He told Jordan how Jackie Robinson inspired him during his quest to break one of baseball’s most lauded milestones.

“I felt like when I was chasing Babe’s record, that the most important person that I had in mind was Jackie Robinson,” he said. “I felt like he had been through so much on the field and did so many things that required me to be where I was. I just thought that there was absolutely nothing that would stand in my way to keep me from fulfilling my goal of trying to be the best ballplayer at that time that I possibly could.”

While his career was winding down, Aaron looked for a way to use his celebrity to build up the next generation. During his final games with the Milwaukee Brewers, a conversation with then team-president Bud Selig spawned Aaron’s Chasing the Dream Foundation. The foundation has provided countless scholarships to deserving Boys & Girls Clubs students.

“[I told him] I don’t want anything,” he said. “I just want something that says that ten years from now, Henry Aaron has put his fingerprint on somebody to help them get through college and make them better than what they were before. That’s where my Chasing the Dream Foundation came from.”

Aaron credited his mother for fostering his charitable desires. He described how her philosophy influenced him to elevate others.

“She always told me and taught me that no matter how much I succeed, or [how much] success that I have in life, there is somebody that needs help a little bit better than you do,” he said. “She said to always remember that if you can reach back and help pull somebody else out of a hole, or help somebody get to the point where they can enjoy themselves, then you’ve done what the good Lord wants you to do, and that’s to help others.”

Redirecting his attention to the current civil rights movement in 2020, Aaron hoped that the new generation would turn towards building relationships to move society forward.

“I just wish that these kids today would find out that it’s not just money alone,” he said. “It’s not just what you can get out of someone, but [also] learn how to be able to get along with other people, as well as to get along with yourself.”