Remember When: Celebrating Hank Aaron

This Wednesday, February 5th, would have been Hank Aaron's 92nd birthday. Born in 1934 in Mobile, Alabama, "Hammerin' Hank" became one of baseball's greatest players—and one of America's most dignified champions of equality.

On April 8, 1974, Aaron broke Babe Ruth's seemingly untouchable record of 714 home runs. But the path to 715 was paved with racist hate mail and death threats. In the year leading up to the record, Aaron received 930,000 pieces of mail—more than any non-politician in the country. Much of it was vicious.

He persevered with grace and determination. "I was being thrown to the wolves," he later recalled. "Even though I did something great, nobody wanted to be a part of it."

Aaron didn't just break records on the field. After retiring, he became one of baseball's first Black executives with the Atlanta Braves, using his platform to advocate for minority hiring and equal opportunity in sports. President George W. Bush, presenting Aaron with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002, said it best: "Hank Aaron overcame poverty and racism to become one of the most accomplished baseball players of all time. By steadily pursuing his calling in the face of unreasoning hatred, Hank Aaron has proven himself a great human being, as well as a great athlete."

Muhammad Ali once said Aaron was "the only man I idolize more than myself."

Aaron passed away in January 2021, but his legacy endures—755 home runs, a career built on excellence, and a life lived with integrity in the face of hatred. That's worth remembering.

Photo credit: georgiaencyclopedia.org