Atlanta Board Of Education Renames School To Honor Braves Legend Hank Aaron

An Atlanta high school will soon bear a new name in honor of Braves legend Hank Aaron.

The alternative high school will be the Hank Aaron New Beginnings Academy.

Atlanta Board of Education members unanimously approved the new name Monday (April 12), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. It’ll replace the name Forrest Hill Academy, named for Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Board members agreed “names do matter,” and emphasized the importance of understanding history.

Aaron, also well-known by his “Hammerin’ Hank” nickname, died on January 22. He was 86.

The Atlanta Board of Education wasn’t alone in honoring Aaron this year.

Some circulated online petitions to rename the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hammers, in honor of Aaron’s famous “Hammering’ Hank” nickname. Some petitions called to rename Truist Park in his honor.

The Atlanta Braves also established a fellowship program in his honor to boost diversity. The new program was announced in February.

The Henry Aaron Fellowship establishes an executive leadership program lasting a year, providing the opportunity to work in business operations at the Atlanta Braves front office, according to an MLB press release. The program is slated to begin this season.

“Hank’s life-long passion was to increase diversity across every aspect of baseball,” Derek Schiller, Atlanta Braves President and CEO, said in the release. “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.”

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