Wednesday evening the Boston Celtics held the team’s first “HBCU Night” at TD Garden to honor the work done by historically black colleges and universities, a group of higher education institutions around the country serving predominantly black and brown students. The Celtics highlighted individuals and groups from schools from across the country with all sorts of celebrations and honorifics throughout the evening, a 125-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The club also paid homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. before game. The Celtics donned warmups honoring MLK, while Grant Williams spoke to the crowd prior to tipoff about the life and legacy of Dr. King. A new statue honoring King and his wife Coretta will soon be unveiled in the city’s Boston Common.
Following the action, Celtics Wire asked Jaylen Brown about the night and the important role HBCUs play in promoting equity in American higher education.