Last summer when Jaylen Brown signed his sueprmax contract extension with the Boston Celtics, making it the largest contract in NBA history at the time of $304 million over five years, Brown said he wanted to bring a Black Wall Street to Boston, in hopes to balance the wealth disparity in the city.
“I want to launch a project to bring Black Wall Street here in Boston. I want to attack the wealth disparity here. I think there’s analytics that supports that stimulating the wealth gap could actually be something that could be better meant for the entire economy.”
One year later, Brown made the first step in his plan by launching Boston XChange, a non-profit organization with the goal of creating $5 billion in generational wealth in black communities throughout Boston.
This program is partnered with his teammate Jrue Holiday and his wife’s JLH Social Impact Fund, which is designed to combat systemic racism and socioeconomic inequality in disadvantaged Black and Brown communities. The program also partners with MIT and Harvard Business Schools.
The program will endorse ten entrepreneurs and creators in Boston with $100,000 in funding in a three-year span. It also provides a workspace along with other business services worth more than $150,000 according to the Boston Globe.
Brown, who truly believes in his vision for the city of Boston, hopes that this program will be part of his legacy with the Celtics in addition to all the other things he’s done for the city.
“It will be a hub for diverse creators and entrepreneurs. It will operate kind of at the intersections between business and culture. I believe that when you invest in the creator and the culture, it strengthens entire cities.”
Over the years, Brown launched the Bridge Program, which focuses on students in underprivileged communities to give them the resources of the MIT Media Lab to help bridge the gap between students in poor and disadvantaged communities to education and the power you can have with it.
At this point, Brown is targeting everybody of all ages with his programs. He understands the power of knowledge, which is why he created the Bridge Program. He also understands that Boston is populated with non-students, adults, and parents who are creators in certain fields or entrepreneurs.
By hitting all the target demographics, Brown’s plan is to essentially change the future direction of Black wealth in the city of Boston, whether it be through education or business, he’s going to try his best to assist the people in these communities.
Brown shared a photo on the Twitter account for the Boston XChange explaining the overall goals and mission of the program.
The mission behind all of Brown’s initiatives is to create an equal playing field for the Black people of all ages in Boston. He hopes that the future can be different for Black people and to have opportunities and jobs for them if this all works.
This is the mission statement on Brown’s 7uice Foundation’s website and the definition of his foundation:
“Interrupt the detrimental consequences of human apathy and work towards an equitable society and sustainable planet.”
Brown’s 7uice Foundation and Holiday‘s JLH Social Impact Foundation are aligned with the same principles and goals. It’s truly great to see two teammates team up off the court to help change the world.
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Photo Credit: Pat Greenhouse, The Boston Globe
The Celtics Files 
One response to “Jaylen Brown kept his word on bringing Black Wall Street to Boston”
[…] Finals MVP also launched the Boston X Change, which is him keeping his word from one year ago when he signed his supermax contract extension, making it the largest deal in NBA […]
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