Boston Celtics star wing Jaylen Brown has long been a champion of using his platform as an NBA player to promote education as a means to help underserved communities and individuals. Speaking at Harvard, working with MIT’s Media Lab and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Program, and even giving TED Talks to such an end since joining the NBA in 2016.
Brown’s interest in the spaces where the fight against structural racism and other forms of inequity meet opportunities through education taking root in the city of Boston has been an ongoing affair since the Celtics selected him third overall in that year’s draft.
And after hearing about how local education advocate and civil rights pioneer Jean McGuire was the subject of a brutal attack on her usual walk in Franklin Park, the Celtics star made a point of connecting with McGuire to learn more about her efforts to promote education in the greater Boston area.
This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 42 jersey for at least one game as of Sep. 2022. https://t.co/jjG3jkLNwZ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 14, 2022
In 1981, McGuire was the first woman to be elected to a seat on the Boston School Committee while the city of Boston was undergoing the process of desegregating its public schools.
She was also a founder of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) (Ca.1966) and served as METCO’s executive director from 1973 to 2016.
It’s no coincidence this team has the most retired jersey numbers with 17 banners hanging alongside them. https://t.co/xpZqczYYBg
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 13, 2022
“I just hung out for about an hour and half, two hours, just talking about education,” explained Brown in a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.
“Just talking about the experiences she has had in the city of Boston, in the past, what’s currently going on with gentrification in her neighborhood, how she feels about the METCO program, how she feels about all these different things, how she feels about voting.”
“I’m really grateful she welcomed me into her home and I can’t wait to spend some more time with her and see what I can learn and help with things we’re both aligned with,” he added.
This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 4 jersey for at least one game as of September 2022. https://t.co/TfW5BTlmqZ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 13, 2022
“It was a great night,” recalled the Cal alumnus. “It was amazing … I wasn’t familiar with her before and the things that she’s done in her career in education and civil rights.”
“I thought she’d be a great person to go and spend some time with,” suggested Brown, who shared he stumbled across her story looking for an activity his grandfather might be able to get into.
“I was trying to find some activities for my grandpa that he can do, whether it’s social events of people his age.”
Instead, he found a kindred spirit to learn from — and perhaps collaborate with.
Join us for a deep dive into the 2022-23 stat quo so far and what could mean for the trade deadline plans of the Celtics’ front office. https://t.co/vzORejo4Ic
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 13, 2022
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
