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How Mookie Betts can inspire a new generation of Black baseball players

During Black History Month, with the series 28 Black Stories in 28 days, USA TODAY Sports examines the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials face after the nation’s reckoning on race in 2020.

Hank Aaron wasn't just a baseball legend.

His death in January, just days before Black History Month began, was a loss for the MLB community for his contributions as a home-run king and picture of longevity.

But Aaron was also a Black star in a time when public acts of racism were all too common.