Representative Adriano Espaillat Introduces Resolution Honoring Roberto Clemente

WASHINGTON, DC -- This week, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) reintroduced his resolution recognizing the significant human rights activism and baseball stardom legacy of Roberto Clemente, the first Puerto Rican and first person of Latino heritage to win a World Series as a starter, be named Most Valuable Player Award (MVP), be named World Series MVP, and be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

"Roberto Clemente was a trailblazer in the fight for Puerto Rican civil rights and utilized his stardom to advocate and defend the rights of Black and Brown communities around our nation," said Rep. Espaillat. "Clemente was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s visionary leadership, which spurred his own actions to demand equity for communities of color, better working conditions for MLB players, and his work to help level the playing field through training clinics for minority youth.

"Roberto Clemente was a model player and social advocate, and I am proud to reintroduce a resolution this Congress to honor his life's work by urging the Major League Baseball (MLB) to permanently retire the number 21 and expand Roberto Clemente Day to include all ballparks requiring players, coaches, managers, and umpires to wear Clemente's uniform number, 21, on that day.

"My legislation is a show of respect for the tremendous impact Roberto Clemente had on the lives of others through his humanitarian efforts around the world and his legacy that continues to inspire each of us," Espaillat concluded.

Clemente became a union leader in the incipient Major League Baseball Players Association and defended players' rights to demand better working conditions and benefits. In every city where the Pirates played, Clemente visited sick children in hospitals. He put his heart and soul into training clinics, providing baseball lessons and fun for boys and girls in Pittsburgh, his home island of Puerto Rico, and throughout Latin America.

As the League did with Jackie Robinson's iconic 42 in 1997 on the fiftieth anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in professional sports, the Espaillat Resolution is urging the MLB to retire the number 21 league-wide in recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of Roberto Clemente's tragic yet heroic death.

Since 1973, Major League Baseball has presented the Roberto Clemente Award to one player in the league who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team. In 2002, Major League Baseball declared the first annual Roberto Clemente Day and in 2021,the MLB announced September 15th would be the permanent date of Roberto Clemente Day to coincide with the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month each year.

Clickhere to read the Espaillat Resolution Recognizing Roberto Clemente in its entirety.

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government's vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at [email protected]