119-hres307

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 307 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 307

 Honoring the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 8, 2025

 Mr. David Scott of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. 
 Carter of Georgia, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Loudermilk, and Mr. Thompson of 
Mississippi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

 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;
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;
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 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 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;

    (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 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 standard of integrity;
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;
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'';
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 preserve the television 
 broadcast of Mr. Aaron's 715th home run within the National Recording 
 Registry as an event 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 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
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) honors the life and legacy of Henry Louis Aaron for his 
 accomplishments on and off the baseball 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 perseverance of the people of the United 
 States, and exemplified 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 prolific baseball players and 
 professional athletes of the United States, of all time.
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