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Opinion | Bill Russell

Adult-youth mentorships create essential community bonds

Lesley Becker/Globe Staff; Adobe

I realize the importance of what my high school coach did. He was a white guy, coaching an all-black team and simply said, “These are my kids.” It left a mark on me. I often think about how much better our country would be if we all embodied the concept that there is no such thing as other people’s children — just the next generation of Americans.

In basketball, individual awards don’t mean much without championships; it’s about you and your teammates making each other better every day. It’s no different off the court. Individual accomplishments are important, but a collective movement prioritizing healthy relationships, especially for the youngest, can move the whole world.

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On Wednesday, I will be receiving the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYS for my work off the court on civil rights and social justice. I’m not one to bask in the spotlight; it’s just not me. But in accepting this award, I hope I can shed light on the need for adults to step up as mentors for our youth and the central importance of mentoring for all our communities to thrive.

Every generation is confronted with social issues that feel monumental, insurmountable, and this generation is no different. The question we must answer is this: How do we turn toward each other? Instead of thinking about what we can do to each other, we must think about what we can do for each other. How do we build bridges that lead to understanding, acceptance, and embracing our common humanity?

That’s where relationships come in. Relationships are at the center of progress and possibility.

Research shows what we see every day: When American adults are given a bridge, we are willing to cross it for the young people in our communities. That bridge could be faith, sports, nonprofit work, or school. But we are willing to cross it, and we are crossing it in numbers higher than we expected. Therein lies the promise of a more unified nation.

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Americans are overwhelmingly crossing racial, economic, and other bridges to mentor young people outside their families. More than three-quarters of mentors are mentoring youth from a different socioeconomic status or racial background. And regardless of whether they are mentoring, most Americans are extremely supportive of the mentoring of young people.

This is the power of relationships. Mentoring relationships are not a “nice to have,” they are necessary. They are a human right.

For the more than 9 million children in this country growing up without a supportive adult relationship outside of their immediate family, it’s up to each of us to turn toward them and build a bridge.

In these moments of division and uncertainty, take heart: We agree on more than we realize. We are more alike than we are different. The social contract is still being honored in deeply meaningful and personal ways. Relationships can build and sustain social movements. In fact, they always have.

There has never been a more important time to remind ourselves that, in America, there is no such thing as other people’s children.


Bill Russell is a retired professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1969, when the team won 11 NBA championships. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is cofounder of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, and active in its local affiliate, the Mass Mentoring Partnership.

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