#Shortstops: Hank Aaron’s influence
“Baseball needs me because it needs someone to stir the pot – and I need it because it's my life. It’s the means I have to make a little difference in the world.” – Hank Aaron, “I Had a Hammer”
According to Hank Aaron, his on-field accolades were perhaps the only reason why people listened to him, but his legacy certainly spanned far beyond his 3,771 hits and 755 home runs. While at times not outspoken, Aaron was actively engaged in racial justice advocacy through the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), one of the most prominent civil rights organizations in the United States. He was granted lifetime membership status in June 1975, receiving a plaque to commemorate the achievement.
That plaque is now a part of the Museum’s collection.
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Aaron was drawn to the NAACP because of its long standing reputation for goodwill and being renowned for affecting change. He worked with the organization and fellow former players to push for meaningful racial justice policy and to create opportunities for black professional athletes in front office roles, including lobbying with team owners and league commissioners to address inequitable hiring practices.
In addition to being a lifetime member and part of the board of directors for the Atlanta and national chapters, Aaron was awarded the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s “Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2005. Further, the “Hank Aaron Humanitarian in Sports Award” was established in his honor to pay forward his advocacy work and celebrate those who follow in his footsteps.
While the plaque itself is representative of Aaron’s NAACP membership, it is emblematic of much more: Athletes using their platform as a force for good.
"Hank did not only break barriers on the baseball field, but also in the civil rights movement," said NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson. “I hope that athletes from all sports will follow in his footsteps to use their platforms for social good and to advance the cause of civil rights."
Claire DeMeo was a 2023 membership and development intern in the Hall of Fame’s Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Youth Leadership Development
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