IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 128 
Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 14, 2023 
Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia (for himself, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 
ALLEN, Mr. MCCORMICK, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. CARTER of 
Georgia, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mrs. MCBATH, and Mr. FERGUSON) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Oversight and Accountability 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron. 
Whereas Henry Louis ‘‘Hank’’ Aaron was born 1 of 8 chil-
dren 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 play-
ing 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 Ath-
letics, then the Mobile Black Bears, before being signed 
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by the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American 
League; 
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 Jack-
sonville 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 Base-
ball 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 Mil-
waukee 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 At-
lanta, 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 
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game against the Cincinnati Reds on his first swing of 
the season; 
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 broad-
caster 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 stand-
ing 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 ca-
reer, 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 at- 
bats (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 nu-
merous career highlights and awards, including— 
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(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; 
(2) being a 2-time National League batting cham-
pion; 
(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, includ-
ing being barred from hotels where his minor league 
White teammates stayed, receiving many racist letters 
and threats, and even needing protection from law en-
forcement at games to protect against racist violence or 
harassment; 
Whereas Mr. Aaron accomplished a stellar career without the 
use of steroids or other performance enhancing drugs, 
and played the game of baseball with the highest stand-
ard of integrity; 
Whereas during his career, Mr. Aaron became a national 
symbol for perseverance by demonstrating athletic great-
ness and strength while enduring vicious racism and 
hate, helping advance the cause for civil rights and be-
coming 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, sup-
ported the National Association for the Advancement of 
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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. Aar-
on’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; 
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 per-
cent 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’’; 
Whereas, in 2015, Mr. Aaron was an inaugural recipient of 
the Portrait of a Nation Prize from the National Portrait 
Gallery commemorating ‘‘exemplary achievements in the 
fields of civil rights, business, entertainment, science, and 
sports’’; 
Whereas, in 2022, the Library of Congress elected to pre-
serve the television broadcast of Mr. Aaron’s 715th home 
run within the National Recording Registry as an event 
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of great cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance in 
the history of the United States; and 
Whereas, at the time of his passing, Mr. Aaron was long re-
nowned for having uplifted the Black community and im-
proved human relations over his career through his tre-
mendous display of dignity and long record of achieve-
ment in the face of racism and hate, cementing his legacy 
as a leading figure for civil rights: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors the life and legacy of Henry Louis 
Aaron for his accomplishments on and off the base-
ball field, and for defying racism and breaking down 
racial barriers in the fight for equality as one of the 
last Major League Baseball All-Stars to have played 
in the Negro leagues; 
(2) proclaims that Henry Louis Aaron indeed 
embodied the true spirit and promise of the Nation, 
reflected the best of the determination and persever-
ance of the people of the United States, and exem-
plified the indomitable will of Black Americans to 
overcome impossible odds to achieve greatness in the 
face of relentless adversity and racism; and 
(3) recognizes the life and legacy of Henry 
Louis Aaron as an important figure in the fight for 
civil rights, as well as one of the greatest and most 
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prolific baseball players and professional athletes of 
the United States, of all time. 
Æ 
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