#OTD in 1974, Hank Aaron (who died in January 2021) hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth’s legendary record before a crowd of 53,775 people, the largest in the history of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. This achievement was bittersweet; at each step of his historic rise, he faced systemic and extreme racism that included hate mail and death threats. He described the effects of this vitriol on his family and his heart:
“It really made me see for the first time a clear picture of what this country is about. My kids had to live like they were in prison because of kidnap threats, and I had to live like a pig in a slaughter camp. I had to duck. I had to go out the back door of the ball parks. I had to have a police escort with me all the time. I was getting threatening letters every single day. All of these things have put a bad taste in my mouth, and it won’t go away. They carved a piece of my heart away.” NYT interview.
Aaron saved many of those letters and even the death threats.
“To remind myself that we are not that far removed from when I was chasing the record. If you think that, you are fooling yourself. A lot of things have happened in this country, but we have so far to go. There’s not a whole lot that has changed.” USA Today interview.
Such hatred didn’t stop him. Instead, Aaron seized the opportunity for greatness and advancement on the field and beyond (from here): :
“In playing ball, and in life, a person occasionally gets the opportunity to do something great. When that time comes, only two things matter: being prepared to seize the moment and having the courage to take your best swing.” - Hank Aaron
President Carter welcomes Hank Aaron to the White House, 8/15/1978, Carter Library, NARA IDs 180805 and180806.
“A breaker of records and racial barriers, his remarkable legacy will continue to inspire countless athletes and admirers for generations to come.” –President Carter
President George W. Bush Presents Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hank Aaron, 7/9/2002, George W. Bush Library, NARA ID 6734115.
Civil rights crusader Fannie Lou Hamer represents the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Methodist Church Ministries/Kenneth Thompson, online here.
“NOBODY’S FREE UNTIL EVERYBODY’S FREE.”
In honor of Women’s History Month (March) and Black History Month (Feb), we continue our celebration of Black women with this special virtual Kennedy Library Forum on March 16 at 7 pm ET. Registerhereto watch live or later.
Kate Clifford Larson, visiting scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center, will discuss her new book with Karsonya (Kaye) Wise Whitehead, professor of communication and African and African American studies at Loyola University Maryland.
Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamerdraws on new interviews and fresh archival material to explore Hamer’s life and impact on the civil rights movement. Kennedy Library education and public programs on civil rights and social justice are supported in part by AT&T.
Archives specialist Netisha Currie wrote about Hamer for the National Archives Say It Loud! Employee Affinity Group’s Rediscovering Black Historyblog’sBlack History Basic Training series.Currie shared Hamer’s incredible history that included African American voter registration, organizing Freedom Summer, co-founding the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and helping to establish the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971.
Governor Bill Clinton’s “Vision for America” speech at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), 7/16/1992, Clinton Library, NARA ID 18557458.
FOR KIDS AND EDUCATORS:
DocsTeach: Fannie Lou Hamer and Voting Rights: Students will analyze a portion of Hamer’s testimony at the 1964 Democratic National Convention about registering to vote in Mississippi in 1962. They will answer questions to understand the specific challenges Black Americans faced, and the motivations behind the Civil Rights Movement.
Meet Fannie Lou Hamer:National Archives Comes Alive! Young Learners Program. Online here.Hamer (as portrayed by Sheila Arnold) shared her story from her birth as the 20th child of parents who were tenant farmers in Mississippi to her efforts to organize the Mississippi Freedom Summer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and more.
