III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 23 

Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 28, 2021 

Mr. WARNOCK (for himself, Mr. OSSOFF, Mr. SHELBY, and Mr. TUBERVILLE) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron. 

Whereas Henry Louis ‘‘Hank’’ Aaron was born 1 of 8 children on February 5, 1934, to Herbert Aaron Sr. and Estella (Pritchett) Aaron in Mobile, Alabama; 

Whereas Mr. Aaron grew up during the height of Jim Crow 

and segregation and faced racism and discrimination 

from a young age, including from the stands while playing in the South as a minor league baseball player early 

in his baseball career; 

Whereas Mr. Aaron began his baseball career as a teenager 

in the Negro leagues, first playing for the Prichard Athletics, then the Mobile Black Bears, before being signed 

by the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American 

League; 


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•SRES 23 IS 

Whereas, in 1952, Mr. Aaron was signed by the Boston 

Braves, who assigned him to play in the minor league for 

their Northern League farm team, the Eau Claire Bears, 

where he made the Northern League’s All-Star team and 

was unanimously named Rookie of the Year; 

Whereas, in 1953, Mr. Aaron was promoted to play for the 

South Atlantic League affiliate of the Braves, the Jacksonville Braves, as one of the league’s first Black players, 

where he immediately helped the team win the league 

championship and won the South Atlantic League’s Most 

Valuable Player Award; 

Whereas, in 1954, Mr. Aaron was invited to attend spring 

training with the Milwaukee Braves and signed his first 

Major League Baseball contract on the final day of 

Braves spring training, making his Major League Baseball debut against the Cincinnati Reds and hitting his 

first Major League Baseball home run on April 23, 1954; 

Whereas Mr. Aaron won his first batting title in 1956 and 

was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 

1957, helping the Braves win their first pennant in Milwaukee and leading the Braves to a 1957 World Series 

victory against the New York Yankees; 

Whereas, in 1966, Mr. Aaron moved with the Braves to Atlanta, Georgia and went on to play 23 seasons in Major 

League Baseball, all but his final 2 seasons with the 

Braves in Milwaukee and then Atlanta; 

Whereas, on April 4, 1974, Mr. Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s 

home run record by hitting home run number 714 in a 

game against the Cincinnati Reds on his first swing of 

the season; 


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Whereas, on the evening of April 8, 1974, Mr. Aaron made 

history by breaking Babe Ruth’s record when he hit 

home run number 715 against the Los Angeles Dodgers 

at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, 

cementing his place in history as the Nation’s home run 

king; 

Whereas, during the historic moment, veteran baseball broadcaster Vin Scully announced, ‘‘What a marvelous moment 

for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and 

the State of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the 

country and the world. A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of 

an all-time baseball idol.’’; 

Whereas Mr. Aaron went on to hit 755 home runs in his career, a home run record that went unbroken for more 

than 30 years, with his final home run coming on July 

20, 1976; 

Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron held the 

Major League Baseball records for the most career runs 

batted in (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases 

(6,856); 

Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron was 1 of only 

4 players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more 

hits, was in second place for most in home runs and atbats (12,364), and was in third place for most games 

played (3,298) and hits (3,771); 

Whereas, in addition to his records, Mr. Aaron achieved numerous career highlights and awards, including— 

(1) becoming the ninth player to achieve the 3,000 

hit milestone and the first player to achieve both 500 

home runs and 3,000 hits; 


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(2) being a 2-time National League batting champion; 

(3) winning the National League’s single-season 

home run title 4 times; 

(4) achieving a career batting average of .305; 

(5) being voted an All-Star in all but his first and 

last seasons; and 

(6) winning 3 Gold Glove awards for his play as a 

right fielder; 

Whereas Mr. Aaron achieved these milestones while bravely 

facing racism at every stage of his historic career, including being barred from hotels where his minor league 

white teammates stayed, receiving many racist letters 

and threats, and even needing protection from law enforcement at games to protect against racist violence or 

harassment; 

Whereas, during his career, Mr. Aaron became a national 

symbol for perseverance by demonstrating athletic greatness and strength while enduring vicious racism and 

hate, helping advance the cause for civil rights and becoming a civic leader in the Black community; 

Whereas Mr. Aaron became the first Black American to hold 

a senior management position in Major League Baseball 

as a front office executive with the Atlanta Braves, supported the National Association for the Advancement of 

Colored People (‘‘NAACP’’), and founded the Chasing 

the Dream Foundation to support underprivileged youth 

through mentorship and financial support; 

Whereas, in April 1977, the Atlanta Braves retired Mr. Aaron’s Number 44, erected a statue in his honor in 1982, 

and named the address of their second home, Turner 

Field, as 755 Hank Aaron Drive; 


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Whereas Mr. Aaron is an integral part of Mobile, Alabama 

history and has been recognized by the city through the 

construction of a stadium, opening of a museum, and 

naming of a park, in his honor; 

Whereas, in 1982, his first year of eligibility, Mr. Aaron was 

elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 97.8 percent of the vote, the second-highest tally at the time only 

to Ty Cobb; 

Whereas, on the 25th anniversary of Mr. Aaron’s 715th home 

run, Major League Baseball created the Hank Aaron 

Award, given annually to the players with the best overall 

offensive performances in each league; 

Whereas, in 2002, Mr. Aaron received the Presidential Medal 

of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian award, from 

President George W. Bush, with the citation noting that 

Mr. Aaron ‘‘embodies the true spirit of our Nation’’; and 

Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron was long renowned for having uplifted the Black community and improved human relations over his career through his tremendous display of dignity and long record of achievement in the face of racism and hate, cementing his legacy 

as a leading figure for civil rights: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life and legacy of Henry Louis 

3 Aaron for his accomplishments on and off the base4 ball field, and for defying racism and breaking down 

5 racial barriers in the fight for equality as one of the 

6 last Major League Baseball All-Stars to have played 

7 in the Negro leagues; 


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1 (2) proclaims that Henry Louis Aaron indeed 

2 embodied the true spirit and promise of our Nation, 

3 reflected the best of the determination and persever4 ance of the people of the United States, and exem5 plified the indomitable will of Black Americans to 

6 overcome impossible odds to achieve greatness in the 

7 face of relentless adversity and racism; and 

8 (3) recognizes the life and legacy of Henry 

9 Louis Aaron as an important figure in the fight for 

10 civil rights, as well as one of the greatest and most 

11 prolific baseball players and professional athletes of 

12 the United States, of all time. 

Æ 


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