Bill R podcast

Bill Russell was an accomplished basketball player who faced racism and discrimination as a black athlete in the 60s. He turned his experiences into a civil rights movement and became an inspiration for many. He lived in an all-white town and his family endured racist acts, including vandalism and defecation in their home. Russell became a civil rights activist, leading marches and conducting basketball clinics to promote equality. He also became the first black coach of a professional sports team in the US, leading the Boston Celtics to two championships. Russell never forgot his activism and used his fame to advocate for the black community. Despite facing racism, he was proud to be part of the Boston team and is recognized as a significant sports figure who had a major impact on black rights in America. His legacy lives on even after his passing, as he is remembered as a Boston legend, an NBA legend, and a leader in the civil rights movement. Bill Russell was one of the greatest basketball players of all time and he has so many accomplishments and awards to prove this. For example, he was a five-time NBA MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-NBA First Team, eight-time All-NBA Second Team, and most of all, 11-time NBA champion, which just speaks for itself because we will never see anyone do that again. But I'm here to talk about what he did off the court, some of the horrific things he had to face as a black athlete in the 60s. He was able to overcome so much racism and become a voice, a role model for the whole black community. He was able to turn racism and horrific acts against him into a civil rights movement and really just become an inspiration for so many people across the country and the world. Russell and his family lived about 13 miles north of Boston in a suburban town called Redding. And the issue with this was that Redding was an all-white town and the Russells were pretty much the only black family in town. In fact, his two kids were attending school, the Redding public schools, and faced a lot of racist remarks as they're the only black kids at the school. But the town wanted to appreciate him, so they threw him a banquet, but that didn't really help out with anything because there were multiple times when Bill Russell and his family would be on different trips and be out of the house and traveling because of Bill Russell's career. And they would return to their home with shattered glass, shattered walls, racial slurs written on the walls, and just horrific things in the house. And the worst part about this was that the police would say raccoons broke into the house, which is just ridiculous because obviously there's some things that raccoons can't do. But this was just the beginning of what Bill Russell had to deal with by living in an all-white town in the 60s. In a essay published for the New York Times, Karen Russell, who is the daughter of Bill Russell, stated that our house was in shambles. Vandals spray-painted slurs on the walls. She also recalled that the people who did it, the vandals who did it, defecated on their parents' bed, which is a very, very inhumane behavior. And this is when Bill Russell realizes that something needs to change at some point because this is just very, very disgusting and very inhumane behavior towards not just him but his family, who are just trying to live in a peaceful town. In the 60s is when Russell really became a civil rights activist. He participated in a lot of different actions and decided that it was time to be a true leader. And he knew that he could have a lot of influence on other people. So Russell led a march from Roxbury all the way to the Boston Common. And this was to raise rights for the black community and just saying they want equal rights and they want to be treated the same and that none of them should be facing what he's had to face at this time living in the suburban area of Boston and just the Boston area in general as all blacks were still facing a lot of racism. But it wasn't just that he did. He also conducted a lot of basketball clinics in Mississippi for not just black kids but in white kids because he wanted to show how blacks and whites could do things the same and how nice it would be for him to teach both races the talents that he had in basketball. And he also joined the 1963 march in Washington. So he did a lot of different marches and a lot of different clinics and camps for not just black rights but to show how blacks and whites and every race could participate in the same things and could really just get along and not have this racism barrier between the two. Russell also became a coach for the Boston Celtics when he wasn't playing. And this just became another milestone for his amazing historic career because he was the first black coach of any professional sports team in the United States. And that's just another thing he did to become what is just one of the greatest activists and players and people of all time because under his coaching the Celtics won two more championships. So he really just showed his knowledge of basketball, his knowledge of being a leader and what he could do as a black man in the United States, something that a lot of white people couldn't do is just a powerful statement to the person and player he was. And when he was having his amazing coaching career, he did not forget about being an activist for the black community. During this whole time, he was still doing different marches. He was still sticking up for the black community in interviews. And anytime he was shown on any screen or newspaper, he made sure to state that he was still an activist. He wasn't just coaching basketball. He wasn't just playing basketball. He was always an activist through all his fame. I think throughout Russell's amazing career and what he had to deal with as an African American in such a racist area, he had to deal with both structural power and ideological power. But I truly believe it was the ideological power he had to deal with the most because at this time in the 1960s and going to the 70s, the African Americans were starting to get more and more rights, like voting rights and rights to protest, rights to whatever whites had their rights to. But it was just the area he was in where people were so used to the white people having power. And when Bill Russell had to move to Boston and live in a suburban area outside of Boston that was ran by white people, he had every right to live there and raise a family there. But it was the people that lived in that town that didn't want him there. And they thought that they could do whatever they wanted to him and his family. But at the end of the day, it was against the laws. But it was just at the time where white people could really get away with anything they wanted to. And to me, that's what started Bill Russell's activism. And that's what really made him become the person, the role model, the activist he ended up being, was the experiences he had to face on and off the court. Russell stated in an interview that in St. Louis and Boston, he faced so much racism. But in Boston, he was able to accomplish all his dreams. And even though there is racism, he was still, at the end of the day, proud to be part of that team. And he knows he accomplished a lot. And he got so many opportunities from being in Boston. And I truly believe Bill Russell is one of the most significant sports figures of all time, just because of how much impact he had off the court. His movements were seen by everyone. And he is one of the main reasons why black people in sport have a lot more confidence, have a lot more rights. He really is a big reason for the movement for black rights in America. Big names in sports and NBA like Adam Silver, Stephen A. Smith, and so many others have recognized Bill Russell and make sure that he is still talked about for his impact on the game. Even though Bill Russell is not with us anymore, passed away at age 88, he truly left his marks on the court and off the court. He will forever be a Boston legend for how many championships he brought back. He will always be an NBA legend for what he did for the game. But most of all, he will always be the man who brought so much attention to the civil rights movement in the 60s and 70s. He was so talented and such a great leader. And he was a main voice for the black community. And while doing this, he became very friendly with the white community and brought so many people together. And he will always be remembered as one of the greatest of all time on and off the court. Thanks for listening. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about Bill Russell and the amazing story he had to overcome and what he ended up doing for the game and really all he did for the black community as well. And he definitely left some big shoes to fill for future athletes. That's for sure.