Atlanta was the backdrop as Ralph Stokes was recognized for a career built around breaking barriers in sports and then helping open doors for the people coming behind him.
The National Association of Black Journalists honored Stokes, vice president of Social Impact Partnerships and Community Relations at PGA TOUR Superstore, with the Sam Lacy Pioneer Award during a ceremony in Atlanta on Aug. 14. The award recognized his lifelong commitment to expanding access, opportunity and representation in sports and culture.
The timing and location carried particular weight for Atlanta, a city with a long history of Black journalism, civil rights and leadership. The 2026 NABJ Convention and Career Fair brought journalists and media professionals from across the country to Atlanta Aug. 12-16. The Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, NABJ’s local chapter, hosted convention events and welcomed attendees to the city. AABJ has served Black journalists in metro Atlanta for 50 years and is the second-oldest chapter affiliated with NABJ.
The Sam Lacy Pioneer Award, one of NABJ’s highest honors, is named for the legendary multimedia journalist who became the first Black member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and was later inducted into the writer and broadcaster wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The award recognizes athletes and journalists whose influence extends beyond their professions.
For Stokes, that broader impact is deeply connected to Atlanta and golf.
He currently serves as vice chairman of the TOUR Championship, set to be held at East Lake Golf Club Aug. 26-30. According to Chuck Palmer, general chairman of the PGA TOUR Championship, Stokes helps oversee tournament committees and coordinates the start of play each tournament day.
The tournament itself has generated more than $70 million in charitable proceeds for the Atlanta community, including the East Lake Foundation and First Tee of Metro Atlanta, according to Palmer.
“The Sam Lacy Pioneer Award recognizes those who change the course of history by creating opportunities for others, and that is exactly what Ralph continues to do,” said Arthur M. Blank, owner and chairman of PGA TOUR Superstore and the Blank Family of Businesses. “He has spent decades proving that leadership is not measured by titles, but by the lives you impact.”
Blank said Stokes’ work mentoring youth and championing inclusion has affected PGA TOUR Superstore, golf and communities and individuals he continues to reach.
Stokes’ Atlanta ties also extend through his leadership in Georgia golf. He was the first Black president elected to the Georgia State Golf Association and served on its board of directors and multiple committees for nearly a decade.
At PGA TOUR Superstore, headquartered in metro Atlanta, Stokes leads efforts to expand access to golf through partnerships with organizations including First Tee, the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, the American Junior Golf Association and the PGA of America REACH Foundation.
His path to that work began long before his Atlanta leadership roles.
Stokes is the author of One of the First, a memoir about his experiences with integration and discrimination. He writes about being one of the first Black football players at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama and being recruited by legendary University of Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant as part of the program’s first integrated recruiting class.
“I am humbled to receive the Sam Lacy Pioneer Award, which honors the legacy of a man who helped tell the story of integration in professional sports, and to join such distinguished honorees,” Stokes said. “I am grateful to NABJ for this recognition, and for my family and the many people who have supported and encouraged me, and who have taught me the importance of perseverance and the difference we can make in the lives of others.”
Others who have worked alongside Stokes say his career reflects that perseverance.
“Ralph Stokes has broken many barriers, from the world of football to the business world, to the world of golf,” said Sylvester Croom, the first African American head football coach in the SEC. “Ralph has consistently persevered through biases, blatant racism and other challenges, paving the way for those who came after him.”
For an Atlanta community where sports, Black leadership and journalism have long intersected, Stokes’ recognition adds another name to a citywide story about breaking barriers, and making sure the doors stay open for those who follow.
