Category: Politics

WATCH: Jayson Tatum talks on how sports unite us on the anniversary of the Jacob Blake strike

A year ago today, the NBA, WNBA, and MLB stopped playing games in response to Blake’s shooting.

The National Basketball Player’s Association (NBPA) released a video of Jayson Tatum talking about how he uses his platform for good on Thursday, August 26, 2021. Not just any day, it was the one-year anniversary of a work stoppage in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by Minnesota police.

It was no minor affair, either, but saw the NBA, WNBA and Major League Baseball all shut down their scheduled games as players used their platform to draw attention to an incident they could not stand by and ignore. On the anniversary of that powerful event, Tatum shared his thoughts on how he can use sports for positive change in the clip.

Watch the video embedded below to hear what the ST. Louis native had to say about how he sees using his platform as an athlete as a tool to make the world a better place.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Celtic icon Bill Russell asks Senate to do the right thing re: impeachment

Russell called on the Senate to do its sworn duty.

Just a day after his 87th birthday, iconic Boston Celtics big man and renowned civil rights activist Bill Russell felt the need to weigh in yet again on the state of politics in the United States.

Russell, who made a name for himself fighting for justice both racial and more generally over the course of his legendary basketball career ad long after it ended, has long feuded with now-former president Donald Trump. The one-time recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom under former President Obama took to Twitter to call on U.S. Senators soon to vote on Trump’s second impeachment to do the right thing.

The Celtic elder statesman wrote a note calling on them to do their sworn duty:

“To all the elected officials that will soon vote to [impeach] the [former president] for a 2nd time, if you could vote anonymously how would you vote? This your answer. Doing the right thing is not always easy.”

“You have been elected to abide by the Constitution,” he added.

Despite carrying enough votes to call witnesses in Trump’s impeachment, Democrats cut some sort of deal with Republicans to move ahead and get to the vote to conclude the trial as soon as possible.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Bill Russell urges fans to hold Trump accountable on MLK Day

The Celtic icon demanded accountability for the events on Jan. 6 in Washington D.C.

Boston Celtics legend and civil rights icon in his own right Bill Russell posted a message on Martin Luther King Day about how the Celtic great spoke on topics the former Celtic feels are especially relevant today.

Russell, who walked with king in the historic “March on Washington” more than a half-century ago, shared a number of words about Dr. King on his birthday regarding recent political events tied to the attempts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power in Washington D.C. on January 6th. The Boston legend shared an image of his words in a tweet as a means of speaking at greater length than the character-limited site allows, which read as follows:

“Today I am reminded of a sermon the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave on good vs. evil on May 17, 1956.

“In his sermon, he delineates the many ways evil manifests in everyday life. Notably, he says that we see evil ‘In high places where men are willing to sacrifice truth on the altars of their self-interest.’ I can think of no better description of the actions of President Trump who incited the domestic terrorists who recently attacked our Capitol in his name or the lawmakers who support his lies about an unfair and unjust election.”

“Today I urge you to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s by writing and calling your congressmen and women to demand they hold Trump accountable for his actions,” he closed.

Russell has long held Trump in disdain in his tweets in the social media network — a position at odds with former teammate Bob Cousy at the start of Trump’s term.

But it seems the bloom had fallen off that particular rose for even the Cooz as his mismanagement of the pandemic in the former Celtic point guard’s eyes.

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Heat, Celtics release joint statement on D.C. violence ahead of game

The two franchises released a joint statement on the violence in the U.S. Capitol.

The Miami Heat joined the Boston Celtics in releasing a joint statement on the violent riots in Washington D.C. after a mob of angry supporters of president Donald Trump stormed the Senate in an effort to prevent the certification of President-Elect Joe Biden.

The two teams, which play one another tonight in the Heat’s home arena in a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, clarified their position on playing despite the chaos rocking the U.S. capitol earlier in the day. Circulated via press release, the teams related their stance on the day’s events.

“2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed,” it began.

“We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on. The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today’s protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do. We have decided to play tonight’s game to try to bring joy into people’s lives.”

“But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America,” they added.

The statement closed with a hashtag, which read as follows:

“#BLACKLIVESSTILLMATTER.”

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