Kemp 'truly humbled' by Clemente Award nom

The delayed start to the season led to Tony Kemp having to wait longer than usual to contribute on the field in his first year with the A’s. But that did not stop him from making an impact off the field.

Arriving to Oakland in a trade from the Cubs in January, Kemp quickly endeared himself to the Bay Area community by lending a helping hand through numerous charitable acts. Those efforts were recognized with a nomination for the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award.

• All-time Roberto Clemente Award winners

“I don’t even know where to start. Just truly humbled and truly blessed,” Kemp said. “Having my name and his name in the same sentence means more than words. I’ve seen a bunch of clips of him and know what he meant to the game. I actually went to the Roberto Clemente Museum last year when I was with the Cubs with Javy Báez and [Jason] Heyward. We had a great time and probably spent two to three hours at the museum up in Pittsburgh.

“To be nominated for his award [after] everything he did during his life, I’m speechless. I’m pretty happy about it.”

• 2020 Clemente Award nominees

In a year when the battle against racial and social injustice has dominated the national conversation, Tony Kemp has been at the forefront with his creation of "THE +1 EFFECT," a campaign he created shortly after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May. Kemp used “THE +1 EFFECT” as a way to encourage anyone who wanted to have a conversation about race, learn more about systemic racism or simply hear about his own life experiences to reach out through social media. Kemp’s goal was simple: Change one perspective, hope they go on to change another, and slowly begin to see a change.

“I was just depressed after the George Floyd murder. I didn’t get out of bed until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Just down in the dumps,” Kemp said. “After I picked myself back up, I put that out there and said, ‘Hey, I’m here to talk to people.’ I wanted to get some open dialogue and communicate. So far, I’ve been very happy with the feedback.”

Kemp found a way to evolve the campaign into an opportunity to raise funds for the cause by raising money through the sale of T-shirts for Campaign Zero, an organization dedicated to decreasing police violence with its #8cantwait initiative.

“It’s still thriving. This is a campaign that I wanted to continue for years down the road,” Kemp said. “I’ve been trying to answer people when I get off the field or late at night. I try to at least do one a day. If I don’t get to one, I try to do two the next day. People still do have questions and I’m trying to help as much as I can. Once I get to the field, it’s all baseball. But off the field, it’s just trying to let people understand what is going on right now.”

Kemp also raised money for COVID-19 relief during the baseball shutdown by auctioning off five special autographed bobbleheads commemorating his playing days at Vanderbilt University, raising over $8,000. That money went to nonprofit organizations in his hometown of Nashville, like Luke 14:12, a nonprofit soup kitchen that provides free meals to the hungry, homeless and working poor of Nashville; The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Houston; and the Alameda County Community Food Bank near Oakland.

“It’s rare that somebody comes over from another organization and has this kind of an impact as quickly as he has,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Especially for a guy that’s not maybe as well-known as an everyday player. But he’s known in this clubhouse and has had a big impact throughout this season with everything that has been going on in the world. I’m sure he’s proud of that and we’re proud of the fact he’s been nominated. He’s the right guy.”