Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown does not believe in social “reform.” The outspoken 23-year-old has been very active in the fight against systemic racism — one of the most active personalities in the entire league, actually — and he recently explained why he believes the term “reform” does not completely represent the ultimate objectives of the movement against social injustice.
Brown used a very effective metaphor to expound on his argument:
“Reform, we hear it a lot and we’ve been saying that for a long time. Years,” Brown told reporters Wednesday, via CBS Boston. “If I wanted to reform my house I might upgrade my kitchen, I might change my garage, I might even do something outside. But the house is still the same. So I think we need to start using different words other than reform, because it’s not the right energy that we are trying to convey.”
Instead, Jaylen Brown suggests that we use words such as “recreate” or “dismantle,” which both send a much stronger message:
Article Continues Below“I think that ‘recreate’ and ‘dismantle’ and things like that are words we should maybe use. It’s obvious that this incrementalism in this system has just been stringing us along. Year after year after year, reform has been a topic of conversation and some of the same things have happened. Black people are still being killed in their houses, in their backyards, outside of places they spend time at. Reform is not the word, so we need to find a new word.”
Brown has been a driving force in the fight against racism in the nation. He even went as far as taking the lead in the protests in the streets of Atlanta following the death of George Floyd in May. Clearly, Brown is a staunch believer in how the nation needs a radical change — now.
While the 6-foot-6 swingman has kept his eyes on the bigger issues at hand, he remains to be excellent on the basketball court. He's been a key piece for the Celtics as they swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, followed by an epic seven-game elimination of the defending champs, the Toronto Raptors, in the second round.
Brown and the C's are now in the midst of another war against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami drew first blood on Tuesday, winning the opener, 117-114 in overtime. Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, in what will be a crucial contest for Boston and their title hopes this term.