Inspiration: Roberto Clemente's Legacy

As we hit the final week of black history month we have to tell the story of one of the most influential (to date) baseball players in the history of the game. The esteemed Roberto Clemente, an afro-latino from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico that made history on and off the field.

A humble super talented outfielder that played for the Pittsburgh Pirates when the U.S. civil rights movement started taking presence. With great pride he paved the road to many future generations of baseball stars that were inspired by his achievements on the field and as humanitarian. First as a black-latino that adapted to life in the U.S. where he encountered a language barrier, social prejudice and discrimination. He successfully made its presence felt with great passion towards the game and fellow human beings. We was soft spoken passionate athlete, a true role model for aspiring baseball players. Not only he inspired U.S. born African American athletes, his impact throughout Latin America is still present today even after passing at the young age of 38 years old.

“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don’t do that, you are wasting your time on this Earth,” -- Roberto Clemente

Many of the afro-latino stars baseball players since the early 1970’s from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Panama saw him as the ultimate role model of baseball success and all wanted to wear the famous #21 jersey. Roberto’s last days on earth was organizing, collecting and bringing himself humanitarian aid to the Central American nation of Nicaragua after an earth-shattering earthquake. On December 31, 1972 he boarded an airplane with relief aid on its way from Carolina, Puerto Rico to Managua, Nicaragua and just after take-off, the aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, his remains were never recovered.

"My father was the 87th Latino to be in the major leagues, but he was the first one ... to be able to speak up and become an activist against prejudice, not only in baseball but also in society, and that took a lot to be able to do that," -- Roberto Clemente Jr.

Roberto’s legacy is one of profound social awareness, advocacy and fight for equal rights. He lifted from humble upbringings, became a baseball star but most importantly brought attention to institutional racial discrimination, social inequality and always helped those most vulnerable. A true gentleman of honor, love and compassion.

Roberto Clemente was a 12-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove winner, won 2 World Series Tittles, and four-time batting champion who had exactly 3,000 hits in 18 seasons. He was inducted “first ballot” with 92.7% of the votes to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, he also was the first Latino to be inducted to the hall of fame.

Gracias Roberto for being an inspiration to many of us. Your legacy will always be in our hearts.