Community

Taylor Snow

BOSTON –&nbsp;Grant Williams grabbed a microphone ahead of Wednesday night’s tip-off against the New Orleans Pelicans and sent a powerful message to a packed house at TD Garden, highlighting the pivotal role Martin Luther King Jr. played in sparking a nationwide fight for social justice, equality, and love among all races and ethnicities.&nbsp;

To understand and experience the power of that love, he encouraged the 18,000-plus fans in attendance to visit Boston Common’s newest memorial, fittingly titled, “The Embrace,” which was officially unveiled at the nation’s oldest public park Friday.

The 20-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide, 38,000-pound bronze masterpiece of interlocking arms was inspired by a photograph of King gleefully hugging his wife, Coretta Scott King, shortly after earning the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. The famous picture was captured in Boston, the city in which their love was forged, and where MLK resided, studied, and preached.

Among those in attendance for the unveiling were King’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, his daughter-in-law, Arndrea Waters King, and his 14-year-old granddaughter, Yolanda Renee King, who delivered an impactful speech in which she labeled the artwork alternatively as “Love 360.”

Although he couldn’t attend Friday’s celebration since he and the Celtics were on a road trip in his hometown of Charlotte, Williams did participate in the groundbreaking ceremony last April. Team co-owner Steve Pagliuca and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation felt privileged to be in a position to support the project with a financial contribution.&nbsp;

Of the significance of the memorial, Williams told Celtics.com, “It represents the growth and the embrace of our culture in the community as well as our culture in the world. It describes a sense of how America is on its way and has grown to not only make everyone feel equal, but making us all feel like we’re all meant to belong here. And, it just shows the growth of the city itself; how Boston used to be in the past, it’s not how it is now. It still has work to do, but it just shows that it’s a step in the right direction and we’re fortunate to be a part of it.”

As someone who embraces equality, encourages change, and is prideful of the progression of Boston culture, Williams is honored to use his platform to promote such a monument. Knowing the history that the Celtics have played in fighting for equality, being the first NBA team with an all-Black starting lineup and the first NBA franchise with a Black head coach, he is proud to represent them in such a manner.

“It's something that my predecessors have done, it’s something that Bill Russell, one of my idols did, and it’s something that our community needs,” said Williams. “People in high-power positions, if they use their voice to speak up and speak out, that gives people that aren’t in those positions the right to do the same, even when they feel like they don’t have that right. It’s something that, if we can continue to do our part and encourage others to do theirs, there’s a lot of history that we can change, and also a lot of new history to be made.”

Boston mayor Michelle Wu spoke on the historical significance of the monument during Friday’s celebration in an interview with NBC10 Boston.&nbsp;

“We are a city that is often known for our history of way, way back – our very important role in the American Revolution and what it meant to stand up for freedom,” said Wu, the first woman, the first woman of color, and the first Asian American woman elected to serve as mayor of Boston. “But Boston and the values that we have here have played a role in shaping history all along the way in the most important fights of every generation and we are so honored that Boston’s legacy has intertwined with that of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and of Ms. Coretta Scott King. So, to have that be a part of our firmly embedded history, representing what our country is about, what our city is about, we hope that will spark conversation and draw people in even more.”

The monument is located at the perfect place to draw people in, right in the heart of one of the most trafficked tourist spots in the city. It’s also the first memorial erected on the Boston Common grounds in more than 30 years, and it can be found just south of the Visitor’s Center.

Artist Hank Willis Thomas encourages passersby to stroll across the granite walkway of the 1965 Freedom Plaza and step right inside the massive “Embrace” so that they can feel its powerful love.

“I feel like there’s almost a holy experience,” the memorial’s designer told NBC10 Boston, “because you look up and see the heavens through their embrace, and you can imagine that from a bird’s-eye view, they see you. Through that embrace, we all have the same potential that the Kings did.”

Experiencing that embrace will be one of the first things Williams does when he and the Celtics return from their road trip, and he encourages others to do the same.

“In the 100-plus years that my grandparents and great-grandparents lived, they were never able to see this,” Williams said of the monument and the progress it represents. “So for me to be able to be a part of it, as well as help inspire more moving forward, it’s a really grateful thing in my eyes.”

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Grant Williams Encourages All to Experience the Love of ‘The Embrace’

Kyle George

The Power Forward Small Business Grant program aims to create a lasting impact through the economic empowerment of Black-owned small businesses across New England. Through a combined commitment of $1 million, Vistaprint and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation are teaming up with the NAACP to award transformative grants of $25,000 on a rolling basis. Through this initiative, grant recipients will have opportunities to be featured on national co-branded platforms along with receiving marketing and design resources customized to their specific needs to help their business grow and thrive.

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Power Forward Small Business Grant - Round 3 Recipient Reveal

The Partnership Provides Black-Owned Businesses with Financial and Business Support to Scale Their Design, Marketing, and Social Media Strategies to New Heights

Boston, MA (September 15, 2022) – Today, VistaPrint, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and NAACP announced the next cohort of recipients from the Power Forward Small Business Grant. The grant program, now in its third iteration, focuses on creating lasting impact for Black-owned small businesses across New England. Select applicants will receive $25,000 in grant funding, the opportunity to be featured on co-branded, national platforms, and the tailored design and marketing support they need to expand their existing businesses and achieve long-term success.

The latest group of grant recipients includes 14 New England-based small-businesses across industries including food and beverage, retail, healthcare, tech, and more. Each business selected was identified as having a meaningful impact on their community and demonstrated a clear vision its use of the funding.&nbsp; Recipients of the Power Forward Small Business Grant were notified with a mix of surprise in-person and virtual visits from Boston Celtics players JD Davison and Derrick White, Celtics Vice President of Player Development and Organizational Growth Allison Feaster, Assistant Coach Aaron Miles, and the team’s beloved mascot, Lucky. From Vista, Cliff Skeete, Global ECD; Michael Buckley, Senior Director, Sports Marketing; and Erin Shea, Head of North America Marketing, were also present at the surprise notifications.

“It’s an honor to work with the Boston Celtics and NAACP to build a truly unique grant program that serves some of the most vibrant and visionary Black-owned small businesses in New England,” said Erin Shea, Head of North America Marketing at Vista. “Our program doesn’t only provide funding, but also offers support to recipients, providing individualized marketing and design services that ultimately help our small businesses grow. This third deployment marks the final round of our $1 million fund – and we can’t wait to see the full results of our grant program in action.”

In total, following this most recent and final round of the program, more than 1,700 small businesses applied from more than 500 areas across New England. Among these applicants, over one-third of the businesses had less than $25k in annual revenue and 57 percent were female.

“Providing funds and critical resources for minority-owned businesses is one of the many ways we seek to create lasting change in the community,” said Allison Feaster, Boston Celtics United Co-Lead and Celtics Vice President of Player Development and Organizational Growth. “Through the Power Forward Small Business Program, we hope to alleviate some of the barriers and obstacles these businesses face and support them while they pursue their passions.”

“Building Black business is synonymous with building Black power. For far too long, our Black small business owners have been shut out of the opportunities necessary to ensure financial freedom, and the growth and prosperity that it affords,”&nbsp;said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “Providing Black businesses with the investments they deserve is a vital component of our continued efforts to promote community growth and close the racial wealth gap. NAACP is proud to be making entrepreneurial visions a reality through this critical initiative. We salute our partners in this effort, the Boston Celtics and VistaPrint for their investment in, and commitment to building Black power. With our corporate partners invested in our future, there is nothing we can’t achieve.”

In June 2021, VistaPrint and the Boston Celtics announced the first group of the Power Forward Small Business Grant recipients designed to make a lasting impact on local business throughout New England. The launch of the grant was the first collaboration within this partnership, an initiative of Boston Celtics United for Social Justice. In January 2022, the two partnered with NAACP to announce the second round of recipients along with a shared commitment of $1 million.

For information on the recipients and to view the surprise announcements, click here.

Vista is the design and marketing partner to millions of small businesses around the world. As a global, remote-first company, Vista has a growing footprint with team members working in more than 25 countries. For over 20 years we’ve been inspired by small businesses and we work incessantly to deliver solutions to their evolving needs. Together, VistaPrint, VistaCreate, and 99designs by Vista represent a full-service print, digital and design solution, elevating small businesses’ presence in physical and digital spaces and powering them to achieve success.&nbsp;Vista is a Cimpress company (Nasdaq: CMPR). To learn more, visit vista.com.

A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966, winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African American Coach and starting the first all Black starting five. In addition, 35 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

The NAACP is a c4 organization (contributions are not tax-deductible), our partner c3 organization is known as NAACP Empowerment Programs (contributions are fully tax-deductible as allowed by the IRS).

In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization, and shares our commitment to equal rights.

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Vistaprint, The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation And NAACP Announce Next Round Of $1M Power Forward Small Business Grants

The Boston Celtics are dedicated to giving back to the local community through a multitude of programs and initiatives.

Community

Grant Williams Encourages All to Experience the Love of ‘The Embrace’

Power Forward Small Business Grant - Round 3 Recipient Reveal

Vistaprint, The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation And NAACP Announce Next Round Of $1M Power Forward Small Business Grants

Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundasion - 2022

February 5, 2020 | Jr. Celtics Girls Night – TD Garden

Nov. 24, 2019 | Jr. Celtics Game Night Experience – TD Garden

Oct. 5, 2019 | Jr. Celtics Clinic at Open Practice – TD Garden

Photos: Fit for a Cause – September 17, 2019