BOSTON — After almost two years, the Red Sox are taking down their 254-foot Black Lives Matter billboard that has been stationed behind Fenway Park facing the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Bekah Salwasser, the Sox’ executive vice president of social impact and executive director of the Red Sox Foundation, told the Boston Herald on Thursday that the organization has been proud of its support for the BLM movement, but now wants to use that signage to promote the 20th anniversary of the foundation.
The change of billboards will take place in the next couple of days.
“We felt it very important to take advantage of one of the most prominent tools this organization has, which is this billboard, to really shed a light on and celebrate the 20 years of incredible impact the Red Sox Foundation has had across New England,” Salwasser said.
In July 2020, with the nation mourning the death of George Floyd, Red Sox decision makers thought they were joining an important movement. Team president Sam Kennedy announced a call to action as he asked members of the Sox front office and fans alike to work toward diversity inclusion and racial justice in their communities.
To show their support, the Red Sox revealed the billboard, later to be joined by a large banner in the Red Sox bleachers and a permanent BLM sign in the Sox outfield.
Never could they have expected some of their fans to turn on them so quickly.
Despite an overflowing show of support from a majority of their fanbase, the organization was also flooded with negative phone calls from what it views as a “vocal minority” of folks who didn’t like the sign.
“No one could predict the future; we certainly couldn’t,” Salwasser said. “So no, we had no idea what really to expect.
“I’ll be honest, it was a really challenging time for our organization when that board went up. Because as often happens, there is a loud vocal minority that expressed discontent with the board. And that was regrettable with us because we felt so proud when that billboard went up. We were taken aback by the negative feedback. But again, as oftentimes happens, there’s a very loud, vocal minority that likes to make their feelings known. Unfortunately a lot of our staff had to bear the brunt of some of those really tough conversations from those fans.”
Fenway Park has often been the center of discussions around racism. Former Orioles center fielder Adam Jones brought attention to the racial slurs he had heard while playing at Fenway, and former Sox pitcher David Price seconded those feelings as he said he was often harassed by his own fans.
When longtime big league outfielder Torii Hunter made similar comments in 2020, telling ESPN that he had suffered repeated racial abuse at Fenway, the Red Sox took action.
The team’s official Twitter account put out a statement noting that Hunter’s experience “is real” and in 2019, there were seven reported incidents of racial slurs at Fenway, and “those are just the ones we know about.”
Asked if the organization thinks the billboard had a positive impact, Salwasser said, “I personally think so, yes. We have heard from many people that they appreciate, love seeing, are honored by and appreciate the courage that we had to put that statement up.”
The negative backlash didn’t change the Red Sox’ thinking.
“When I mentioned the comments about the pushback we got and how many fans called the switchboard and ticket sales had to bear the brunt of some really challenging feedback, it strengthened our resolve,” Salwasser said. “I think for us, we recognized that the statement became politicized. It was never a political statement. We were aligning ourselves with an important issue and cause…
“I also think it’s important to note that last season we also had permanent signage of Black Lives Matter up in the park. So the statement isn’t going away. That’s not changing at all. That will stay permanently affixed to the interior of Fenway Park for all our fans of Red Sox nation to see. We’re proud of that.”
And while the billboard is coming down, the organization said its commitment to racial justice won’t change.
“We are excited to celebrate a notable milestone for the Red Sox Foundation this season and to highlight its 20 years of impact in the community,” Kennedy told the Herald. “Working to make Fenway Park and our front office an equitable, inclusive, and welcoming place for our players, fans, and employees continues to command our focus, attention, resources and care. Our commitment is stronger than ever.”
Replacing the billboard will be a new sign celebrating the 20 years of existence for the non-profit Red Sox Foundation, which has invested more than $104 million in the New England community, awarding more than 1,500 scholarships to local students, helping more than 30,000 veterans and sustaining a longstanding partnership with The Jimmy Fund, raising over $156 million for Dana Farber cancer treatment and research, according to the Red Sox.
When the new billboard goes up, the Sox will carefully dismantle the BLM billboard and donate it to the Boston Arts Academy, which is reopening across the street from Fenway Park in September.
“I think of it less as coming down and more of it as transitioning into a new home at the Boston Arts Academy,” Salwasser said. “They have creative students who are way more innovative than I am and will come up with an incredibly cool way to revise and recycle the board in their school. We’re excited for Phase 2 of this.”
