NPR states that Russell was lauded for his efforts as a civil rights activist both on and off the basketball court. According to WBUR, he openly spoke out about the lack of Black basketball players in the NBA and fought against segregated schools in Boston. The Nation writes that in return, Russell’s Boston home was defaced with racial epithets. In 1961, he boycotted a game in Lexington, Kentucky when his fellow Black team members were refused service at a local restaurant. He later told reporters that “We’ve got to show our disapproval of this kind of treatment or else the status quo will prevail. We have the same rights and privileges as anyone else and deserve to be treated accordingly” (via NPR).
The New York Times explains that Russell went on to walk with Dr. Martin Luther King at the March on Washington. Additionally, he founded an integrated basketball camp in Mississippi. WBUR reported that in 1975 Russell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He did not attend the ceremony due to his belief that the Hall of Fame was inherently racist.
In 2011, then-President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom (per ESPN). Obama hailed Russell and said, “He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates who he loved better players and made possible the success of so many who would follow” (via NPR). Per Newsweek, Russell’s activism, however, resulted in the nickname “Felton X.” His daughter, Karen Russell, noted that this was the “only time we were really scared.”
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