CINCINNATI
The push for racial equality is far from over, in sports and in everyday life, former President Bill Clinton told a crowd at Major League Baseball’s Beacon Awards on Saturday, part of MLB’s Civil Rights Game.
Clinton, who as president took part in baseball’s ceremony retiring Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 uniform number in 1997, spoke at a luncheon honoring Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, and entertainer Bill Cosby for the trio’s contributions to civil rights and charitable works.
The former president told the crowd that, despite the election of Barack Obama as president, problems remain that disproportionately hit minorities. Clinton cited unemployment, the mortgage crisis, the high cost of college, and access to health care among continuing issues.
“A lot of people might be tempted to believe that the struggle which both produced these three giants of sports and comedy and gave them the power to help so many others, that struggle for racial equality is over,” Clinton said.
“But I really came here to say, if you want to honor Hank Aaron and Muhammad Ali and Bill Cosby, you must first recognize that this struggle is nowhere near over,” he said.
