On this day in 1975, Hank Aaron was awarded the NAACP’s prestigious Spingarn Medal.
The former MLB batting king hit his record-setting 715th home run the previous year, surpassing the long-standing mark held by Babe Ruth.
Playing through the 1960s and 1970s, Aaron’s accomplishments on the diamond were bigger than just baseball, as he dealt with discrimination and social tensions tied to the civil rights movement.
The Spingarn Medal was created in 1914 by Joel Elias Spingarn, chairman of the NAACP’s National Board of Directors. The purpose of the award is to bring national attention to African American achievement and to inspire Black youth.
All this and more on “Prime.”
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