OPINION: The NBA legend wasn’t just ‘the greatest champion in all of team sports’; he left indelible marks as a social justice activist and leading figure during pivotal points of the civil rights era.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more , Martin Luther King Jr. said, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” Russell concurred.
It’s no wonder that his jaw stayed tight, exuding zero friendliness and even less warmth among white Bostonians as he stacked chips. The media portrayed Russell as uppity, an angry Black man whose only demonstrable love seemed reserved for the team. His public persona—with roots in the Bay Area, birthplace of the Black Panthers—was enough to merit attention from the feds.
An FBI file referred to him as “an arrogant Negro who won’t sign autographs for white children.”
Pioneers don’t choose their time period, only the way they conduct themselves. No shade to Black stars who chose to be more accommodating. If everyone were built alike, icons such as Russell, Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Tommie Smith and John Carlos wouldn’t be special. They’d be regulars, not radicals.
Only a handful of us have the courage and conviction, the desire and dedication to risk our personal well-being for the group’s benefit. The rest of us are standard issue, which isn’t a character flaw but doesn’t inspire greatness either.
Russell was determined to fight for our dignity and freedom. He was one of the first world-renowned Black athletes to speak out on common realities of racial injustice and discrimination. He marched with King, stood with Ali and worked with Medgar Evers’ brother after the activist was murdered in Mississippi.
In the seminal Revolt of the Black Athlete, published in 1969, Russell receives prominent mention. Author Harry Edwards credits him for sparking the movement. “Unwilling to communicate with the same old tired cliches, glittering generalities, and distortions, Russell (in his memoir Go Up for Glory) attempted to put the real sacrifices a famous Black athlete endures and the rewards he receives in proper perspective,” Edwards writes. “The consequences for Russell were severe.”
Russell made it plain and said it loud, recounting the mistreatment. “It stood out, a wall which understanding cannot penetrate,” he wrote. “You are a Negro. You are less. It covers every area. A living, smarting, smelly, greasy substance which covered you.”
Who among us can say with certainty that we’d be as bold in Russell’s position? Was Jordan? Is LeBron?
That’s not to suggest a deficiency among anyone who pales in comparison. It’s not to make anyone feel bad for being part of the status quo. It’s simply to illustrate how exceptional Russell was. On the court and in the fight, he was extraordinary.
Now, sadly, he’s gone.
We need more like him.
Deron Snyder, from Brooklyn, is an award-winning columnist who lives near D.C. and pledged Alpha at HU-You Know! He’s reaching high, lying low, moving on, pushing off, keeping up, and throwing down. Got it? Get more at blackdoorventures.com/deron.
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