Josh Bell started a book club that has led to a 'racial awakening' inside the Pirates' clubhouse. He knows there's a groundswell of support to fight social injustices and he's intent on being a part of it.
first baseman felt in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May.
“ `You’re going to make a lot more impact with your platform than going to this riot right now. That’s how people get hurt. That’s where the conversation turns bad,” Bell said on Saturday. “’Josh Bell is at a protest is a good thing. But Josh Bell is at a riot is a terrible thing. That’s something that could change your career in a heartbeat.”’
This time things feel different. There is a groundswell of support across races and ages. And Bell is intent on being a part of it. Reticent by nature, Bell is growing more comfortable in his role as the face of a franchise whose history is filled with players of colour that made a difference far beyond the field.“I feel like social justice is something that a lot of people are learning right now,” Bell said. “For the most part, I’m trying to stay as politically correct as I can.
He’s also started sharing Instagram posts as part of a movement called “Social Reform Sunday.” The goal is to help educate himself and others on various topics, not all of them centring on race relations. He promoted the 2016 prison documentary “13th” last week and linked to the Equal Justice Initiative last month. He conducted a Zoom call with members of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities program.
“It’s opening eyes,” Williams said. “It’s giving me perspectives that I didn’t think I was going to need until this happened. It’s almost a second awakening for us, a great racial awakening to take positive steps forward.”
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