Even before being in the NBA, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown is interested in social causes. The 23-year-old Celtic, who left college after his freshman year, is educated and constantly looking for learning opportunities.

With the NBA in its second month of closure due to concerns about the coronavirus, Brown wrote an editorial for The Guardian in the hope “to inspire our society to come together rather than to move further and further apart.”

Brown said despite misinformation and conflicting information on the way forward, he urged avoiding rash responses.

“It is essential that everyone remains calm. An epidemic of unrest and chaos that matches the pandemic would be even more damaging not only to the economy, but to us as a society and to the community as a whole. “

He hoped that the fact that COVID-19 disproportionately affected African Americans and Latinos would highlight the need to change American public health.

“Our health care system could potentially highlight the injustices that this beautiful nation has made up and removed since its inception,” he said.

He called on people who remain connected despite physical isolation.

“It is easy to separate ourselves and our families from the outside world. I challenge you to do the opposite, ”he wrote. “Donate to your local food banks, homeless shelters and the less fortunate in general. Allocate resources to healthcare workers and other extraordinary workers and unsung heroes during this time. Give a helping hand to families and family members of healthcare workers and those who have lost someone and need economic support. The slightest display of compassion can save someone’s life.

Brown said he hoped the crisis would cause people and government to look at societal issues that extended even beyond those directly exposed by COVID-19.

“As I look at the walls of my lockdown, due to the implementation of social distancing, I hope our nation not only consolidates over the next few weeks, but heals as well. Think about the suffrage of other epidemics that have plagued this nation and our planet. Social inequality, gender inequality, educational inequality, poverty, lack of resources, cultural prejudices, and other various societal imbalances that have not yet been vaccinated. Let us use this time to seek solutions based answers and cooperative efforts for these problems. It’s game seven and how we perform on the last row is going to determine our outcome. Let’s lean in and do this together as a team. “