Bill Russell: Courage at Center

As an English teacher, I spend a portion of every year discussing American ideals, like self-reliance, freedom, and individuality. I enjoy hearing what students have to say about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s directions to “detect and watch that gleam of light that flashes within” ("Self-Reliance") and Walt Whitman’s belief that we all can “contribute a verse” (“O Me O Life"). Then again, it goes beyond simply introducing these ideas to others. Each year, these writers remind me of how I want to live. I want to trust my ideas. I want to be open to experiences. I want to share what I have learned with others.

In class, I have used a variety of people to model these ideals: Colin Kaepernick, Edward Snowden, Jane Addams. Whether a person agrees or disagrees with their actions, each of these individuals followed their own thinking. Each of these individuals refused to conform. Each of these individuals exercised courage.

Courage. 

It is impossible to downplay the importance of this trait for those who attempt to live self-reliant lives. Undoubtedly, Kaepernick, Snowden, and Addams show just how much others, including the State, will denounce and even attempt to destroy you for actions that challenge conventional thinking. Without courage, none of these people would have persisted.

And I found one more individual who personifies courage: Bill Russell. I have known of Bill Russell, the great Celtic center, for a long time. I heard his name mentioned by older relatives who watched him play in the NBA's earlier days. I saw his appearance in a handful of commercials, always playing the older spokesman. And I watched the news when Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But I was unaware of his story. I was unaware of the extent of his accomplishments. I was unaware of his dedication to our American ideals--freedom, opportunity, justice for all--especially during a tumultuous time when speaking out meant endangering his career. And life. I was just unaware. 

Now that I am aware, I have written a poem in an attempt to capture what makes him a courageous American, worthy of being called "hero."

Bill Russell transcends basketball. That's the way he saw himself and that is the way we should see him. In 2013, Russell gave a speech at the Lincoln Memorial, the great president with whom he shares a birthday. According to reporter Bill Littlefield, "he spoke of himself, not as a basketball player, but as a man who played basketball." Throughout his life, Bill Russell refused to allow others to define him in any way except based on his merits. He saw himself as the embodiment of the American Dream-rising up from poverty, instilled with the attitude to work hard and persist. He has set an example for all Americans to follow.