Howard Bryant of ESPN.com wrote an article on the role Hank Aaron and the Braves, as well as the other Atlanta sports teams, played in the civil rights movement. This comes on the heels of the announcement that the Braves will host the 2011 Civil Rights Game.
↵I won't go into too much detail here about the article just so you will go read it yourself. It's a must read. There are several points I had not thought of before, including the immediate removal of segregated seating once the sports teams moved to Atlanta. Also, included is a story from Jimmy Carter's book that is pretty fun to read.
↵Atlanta's sports teams, and especially Hank Aaron, played a major role in the civil rights movement, as it brought both races together to root for the Braves, Falcons and Hawks. So it is only fitting that the city and the Braves host the next two years of the Civil Rights Game.