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Braves take on Dodgers in the 2012 Delta Civil Rights Game Saturday, August 18

Delta Civil Rights Game Weekend schedule includes the MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon, the Baseball & Civil Rights Movement Roundtable Discussion and Braves Youth Clinic

Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves today announced the schedule of events surrounding the sixth annual Delta Civil Rights Game, which will air nationally on MLB Network and locally on Peachtree TV as the Braves take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field on Saturday, August 18th. The Delta Civil Rights Game weekend, which is designed to pay tribute to all of those who fought on and off the field for equal rights for all Americans, includes the MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon presented by Belk, the Baseball & Civil Rights Movement Roundtable Discussion and a Braves youth clinic at Turner Field. The recipients of the 2012 MLB Beacon Awards, which recognizes individuals whose lives are emblematic of the spirit of the civil rights movement, are Dodgers Legend Don Newcombe, the three founding members of award-winning recording group Earth, Wind & Fire, and Congressman John Lewis, representative of Georgia’s 5th congressional district and a leader of the civil rights movement. For tickets and more information on the Delta Civil Rights Game and ancillary events, fans can visit MLB.com/civilrightsgame or Braves.com/civilrightsgame.

“Major League Baseball is delighted to once again hold the 2012 Delta Civil Rights Game in Atlanta, one of the important centers of the civil rights movement,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “Appropriately, the game will feature the Braves and the Dodgers, the respective franchises of two legends of our game, Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson. The Civil Rights Game is an opportunity to honor the national pastime’s place in this important era in our country’s history, and we thank the Braves and Delta Air Lines for sharing our enthusiasm for this occasion.”

“We are proud to once again host the Delta Civil Rights Game and its surrounding activities,” said John Schuerholz, Atlanta Braves President.  “It’s an honor to help continue to spread the importance of baseball’s past with Major League Baseball from a city that has such an historical connection to civil rights.”

“Delta is proud to once again serve as the title sponsor of the Major League Baseball Civil Rights Game,” said Tad Hutcheson, Delta’s Vice President of Community and Public Affairs. “Working with our longtime partners the Atlanta Braves, we commemorate the rich history of the civil rights movement and celebrate the contributions our community made for diversity around the world.”

Baseball & the Civil Rights Movement Roundtable Discussion – Carter Center, Friday, August 17th (Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET)

Moderated each year by Harvard Law School Professor and renowned expert on race and justice Charles Ogletree, the roundtable participants will discuss the pivotal role Baseball played in the civil rights movement and the game’s continued presence as a social institution in American society. Previous panelists have included Martin Luther King III, human rights activist and eldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Sharon Robinson, MLB Educational Programming Consultant and daughter of Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson; Dolores Huerta, activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers; Ambassador Shabazz, Ambassador-at-large for Belize and eldest daughter of Malcolm X; Branch Rickey III, Pacific Coast League President and grandson of the late Branch Rickey; Arte Moreno, Principal Owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Baseball Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, and Dave Winfield; and Hall of Fame award-winning journalist and MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons, among others. The discussion will be streamed on MLB.com on Saturday, August 18th at 11:30 a.m. ET, with an archive of the full event and highlights of the event available immediately after the original airing.

MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon presented by Belk – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Saturday, August 18th (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET)

The MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon presented by Belk will honor the recipients of this year’s awards that recognize individuals whose lives are emblematic of the spirit of the civil rights movement. The MLB Beacon of Hope will be presented to Dodgers Legend Don Newcombe in honor of his illustrious career, which includes being one of only two players in baseball history to win the Rookie of Year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards, and also playing alongside Hall of Famers Roy Campanella, Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson as the first African-American pitcher in a Major League All-Star Game (1949). The MLB Beacon of Change will be awarded to the founding members of award-winning recording group and member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Earth, Wind & Fire, whose popular and groundbreaking R&B-influenced music conveyed messages of universal love and harmony following the societal strife of the 1960s. The MLB Beacon of Life will be given to Congressman John Lewis, a representative in Georgia’s 5th congressional district who is considered one of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement and has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and securing civil liberties. Past recipients of MLB Beacon Awards include: Baseball Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ernie Banks; and also Buck O’Neil, Muhammad Ali, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Ruby Dee, Morgan Freeman, John H. Johnson, Billie Jean King, Spike Lee, Carlos Santana and Vera Clemente, MLB Goodwill Ambassador and wife of the late Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Keynote speakers at previous MLB Beacon Award events have included President Bill Clinton, Ambassador Andrew Young, Reverend Joseph Lowery and Julian Bond.

Braves Youth Clinic – Turner Field, Saturday, August 18th (9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET)

Hundreds of young people will have the opportunity to participate in baseball and softball clinics with Braves alumni on Turner Field. 

Sixth Annual Delta Civil Rights Game – Turner Field, Saturday, August 18th on MLB Network (Game time scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET)

The sixth annual Delta Civil Rights Game between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers at Turner Field, airing nationally on MLB Network and locally on Peachtree TV, will feature special pre-game ceremonies recognizing the 2012 MLB Beacon Award recipients and on-field performances of patriotic songs.

The 2012 Delta Civil Rights Game and ancillary activities is the sixth installation of an annual event that began in Memphis in 2007, centering on an exhibition game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians. After another exhibition game in Memphis in 2008, the Civil Rights Game and ancillary events moved to Cincinnati in 2009 and 2010 and Atlanta in 2011 as Regular Season contests. As home to many key leaders and organizations of the civil rights movement, and as a location for many of the movement’s grassroots activities, Atlanta played a critical role in this period of American history.

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