Boston Celtics rising star Jaylen Brown has been one of the most active NBA personalities in the nationwide protests against systemic racism. As such, everyone expects Brown to take advantage of the league's recent decision to allow players to change the names at the back of their jerseys to make a statement.

Brown is doing exactly that, as he has given his Instagram followers a preview of what he is considering for his name change:

For some background, we need to have a quick lesson on historical culture. “Strange Fruit” is a popular song which was recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The song has some very powerful lyrics, as it describes the lynching or premeditated killing of Black Americans at that time.

The song depicts the victims as a fruit from the trees, and the first verse of the song goes like this:

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the popular trees

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Many credit this song as being pivotal in sparking the civil rights movement at the turn of the 20th century. The song has transcended the test of time, and it continues to be a call to arms of sorts. Sadly, the issue of racism continues to plague the nation to this very day, allowing this age-old song to remain timely.

Jaylen Brown has been a staunch critic of any and all forms of racism. In the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police in May, the Celtics swingman was seen leading the peaceful protests in the streets of Atlanta.

While the NBA restart has been criticized by some as a distraction from the fight against social injustice, there are still a good number of players who believe that this presents them with a great avenue to carry on with the fight. Brown appears to be on the same boat, and the Celtics youngster is using his jersey to send a strong message against any and all forms of racism.