*The Boston Police Department has apologized after sending out a Black History Month tweet that honored the achievements of a white man.
Former Boston Celtics head coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach was chosen by the department for his role in creating a more racially diverse roster. He was the first coach to draft a black player, and the first to assign an all-black starting lineup in a game. As team president years later, he was also the first to hire a black head coach (Bill Russell), not only in the NBA but also in North American sports altogether.
But honoring Auerbach for black history month over Russell – or any other actual black person – implies that a white man was more important to integration than the black individuals in the trenches.
.@bostonpolice I noticed you guys deleted this tweet honoring Red Auerbach instead of actually honoring Bill Russell. I’ll just leave your little mistake here, almost like a record of your transgressions. @universalhub #bospoli #Boston #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/Ayn49ZNMti
— The Tokist (@thetokist) February 12, 2018
Amid strong backlash, BPD deleted the tweet an hour later and apologized for the offense. They then posted another tweet honoring famed Celtic player and coach Bill Russell for breaking racial barriers.
BPD realizes that an earlier tweet may have offended some and we apologize for that. Our intentions were never to offend. It has been taken down.
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 12, 2018
#ICYMI: In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth we pay tribute to Bill Russell, one of the greatest @celtics of all time and the first African-American head coach in the history of the NBA when he was named @celtics coach on November 15, 1966. pic.twitter.com/gKX7zpcUQt
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 12, 2018
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