The Boston Celtics and their proprietary charity group, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, have allocated $25 million over ten years to mitigate social and racial injustices in the greater Boston area, the team announced on Tuesday.
The collaboration will be called the Boston Celtics United for Social Change. The donation will include $20 million in cash and an additional $5 million in media assets. These media assets will support both their local programs, as well as the NBA’s efforts. Their local programs will focus on six primary pillars: equity in education, economic opportunity and empowerment, equity in healthcare, criminal justice and law enforcement, breaking down barriers and building bridges between communities, and voting and civic engagement.
Steve Pagliuca, Celtics Managing Partner & Alternate Governor and Chairman of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, believes that these types of actions are pertinent in today’s climate. He states that racial oppression is an issue that’s plagued our nation for “centuries.”
“We feel both the urgency of the moment and the weight of the centuries of injustices as we undertake this critically important work,” Steve Pagliuca said.
Jaylen Brown has been one of the league’s preeminent voices when it comes to social injustice. He lauds the monetary commitment his team is putting forth. However, he is still a proponent of holding themselves accountable and continually fighting for meaningful change.
“We don’t need to pacify the situation with empty gestures. We need to hold ourselves, the Celtics organization and the city of Boston accountable,” he stated. “Monetary commitment is a great first step, but we need to commit to this process by creating a balance of short and long-term change. The time is now.”
The Celtics are currently in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. They play game seven against the Raptors on Friday.
