The Atlanta Braves have announced that they will honor all-time great Henry "Hank" Aaron by launching the Henry Aaron Fellowship. The fellowship consists of a yearlong leadership program that will provide participants the opportunity to work in the Braves front office while making connections with the Atlanta Braves CEO and President, Derek Schiller. Adding on, the 2021 MLB All-Star Game will take place in Atlanta. As a result, fellows will have the opportunity to help plan and execute activities throughout baseball's biggest weekend. Ultimately, members of the organization hope that the Henry Aaron Fellowship will help build a pipeline for women and people of color into Major League Baseball.
"Hank's life-long passion was to increase diversity across every aspect of baseball," Schiller said.
"This fellowship is special because it allows us to build upon his legacy by creating a stronger organization today while continuing to develop the talent pipeline to secure the game's next generation of diverse leadership."
The Braves are not the only organization to honor the late Henry Aaron. The Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have retired Aaron's number for the 2021 season. The Atlanta Braves have also launched the $1 million Henry Aaron Fund to help boost the number of people of color in baseball.
"We want to continue Hank's amazing work in growing diversity within baseball now and in the years to come," Atlanta Braves Chairman Terry McGuirk stated.
"I believe this seed money is just the beginning for this growing fund and I'm certain other companies and organizations who have worked with Hank over the years will join us and add to this call to action to develop talent and increase the diversity on the field and in the front offices across the league."
The Henry Aaron Fellowship will kick off during the 2021 regular season, which still does not have a start date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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