Black History Month Inspirations | Made in Maywood

National Register of Historic Places. Incorporated in eighteen eighty one, Maywood was early on promoted as a delightful suburb with large and beautiful trees, high elevation, pure water, air free from dirt and smoke of factories, with every convenience of a great city. As stately and debonair as this description may sound, Maywood would begin to undergo drum attic change. A half century leader. The town was used as a base for the Illinois National Guard during the Second World War.

More than half of the soldiers trained there never returned, and in the nineteen sixties, like so many other places around the country, both urban and suburban racial tensions brought an inflection point. Good Evening, I'm Harry Reasoner. Not quite two months ago, as we reported the President's Advisory Commission on Civil disorder warned that race hatred threatened to tear this country apart. Events this month have made the warning more imperative than before. In more than one hundred cities,

violence broke out, forty persons died. Chairman Otto Kerner reads from the report, this is our basic conclusion. Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white. Separate and unequal. Discrimination and segregations have long permeated much of American life. They now threatened the future of every amount. For Doc Rivers, life was still relatively new born in

nineteen sixty one. Rivers remembers being obsessed with one thing during that time, basketball And Doc wasn't just obsessed with basketball. He was obsessed with a team, and in particular, a specific player on that team, My uncle Jim. Jim Brewer was from Maywood Providerwise now as I think eleven or twelve NBA player from one school, which is unbelievable, But Jim Brewer was the first. That was my dad's brother, and I watched every game that he played in high school.

I was a second grader, third grader. I didn't miss a game. I didn't miss one of his high school basketball game from the time he was a sophomore until he was a senior graduated, they won state. Brewer was, as Rivers put it, a tough guy, a defensive player. More than anything, Brewer was a worker. I go to my grandmother's house. We called him Baba Brewer. He was out in the backyard playing or at the parks playing. I would ride my bike and go sit down and

watch him play at the park. So I'm just used to work, you know, and you gotta do the preparation, you know, you got to go through the process and then you can have the parade. Brewer's focus left a lasting impression. I think that's what That's why I made it is because I saw him make it. I watched him work. I watched him in high school. I watched him go to University of Minnesota. He was the second pick in the draft. Doug Collins was the first pick

that year and went to the Sixers. Jim Brewer went to the Cleveland Cavaliers. So I saw that happen and I knew you could make it. You know. It's funny. In my journey, I never thought I couldn't make it because I saw Jim Brewer make it. I thought that was a pivotal reason why I made it. Even though there was a ten year age gap between the two, Rivers and Brewer stayed close. After Brewer went pro, Doc would stay with his uncle from time to time when

he was still in school. For a budding hoops head, the chance to work out with NBA players was priceless. We're in over time. They got a car. He can fire from long range. The guy on the Cavaliers that used to grab me and work out with me was Austin Carr. For whatever reason, he took a liking to me. And so you know, I'm in sixth grade and I'm working out with Austin Car, you know, which for me it was normal, you know, But now when I look back, that's abnormal. You don't get a chance to do that

very often. And you know, it's it's cool, Like a lot of people don't know Austin. My son is named after Austin Carr, and his middle name is James, which

is named after Jim Brewer. So that's the story. For as much as Brewer inspired Rivers on the court and helped him achieve his dream of making it to the NBA, Rivers also came to a far more powerful realization over time that while he was soaking in every shot, rebound and victory of his uncle's renowned high school career at Proviso East, there were bigger forces at play in the sixties. In nineteen sixty nine, when they won the state championship of Illinois, it was also the same year of the

race riots at Proviserwise in Maywood. They brought in different speakers, they brought in different people. Nothing could stop the fighting. But in March of that year something changed and then Proviserwise goes down state and Wednesday state title. A Provisoist has won their first sever They stopped football battle and that was what stopped the riot. Finally, Brewer, at his night, he did indeed, and he led the team in scoring with seventeen fun Jim Brewer, you're asking me a while ago,

how many points you got? Do You don't know how any points you got? Do you? No, you don't know how any rebounds you got? No, what would a score of the game. You're a member. All I wanted to do was win. What do you think you had to do with it? Also showed me the power of sports and basketball. But Jim Brewer the fact that he was my uncle and in my community showed me that I could do what he could do. Black History Month Inspirations

continues at a moment. Hey, it's Brian Seltzer and here at the seventy six podcast Network, we strive to bring you sound content as much as we possibly can. Mondays, Leave a voicemail and listen to your calls two on five four zero three seven six three seven unmail Bag Mondays with myself and Lauren Rosen. Every other Tuesday it's co Check focusing on the Delaware Bluecoats, and every other Thursday, listen to Tom's Talks Tom mccas. On Fridays, it's the

weekly Deep Dive with Divine Gibbons. And we're also really excited to be rolling out a brand new feed, The Scoop, a five minute update just about every day. All you gotta do search seventy six or Scoop wherever you get your pots to subscribe or follow. Thanks for listening and we'll talk to you soon. Now back to Black History Month Inspirations. Back in Maywood in the nineteen sixties, there was a store that became a gathering place for residence and passer by a like. It was called Nation Time

Record Mart and Doc Rivers worked there growing up. That was the first black owns record store in Chicago. It was back in the day with albums in forty fives where you had to you know, customers would come in and that note the name of songs, and I would work after school and you have to put them song on and play it and get it wrong and keep guessing until you found it and then you would give it to him in a little album sleeve and they would walk off. Nation Time wasn't just a first black

owned record store in Chicago. It was owned by Grady Rivers, Doc's father. For me, it gave me a musical background that you couldn't get into school. You know, everyday, different music, different genres. You learned it all. It also allowed you to meet everyone because everyone just come in and socialized and hang out in the record store because we played live music or music you know, on speakers, and back then couldn't get that many places, so it was a

special place. Record store owner was just one of the many hats Grady Rivers war. He was also the baseball coach, the football coach, the basketball coach. He was you know, the therapist for the town. But first and foremost, Grady Rivers was a Chicago policeman. I can't tell you that how many times I came home from school and there was a mom and some child sitting on our couch and my dad give them counseling on you know, what they need to do to not get in trouble and

to move on in life. Grady Rivers wasn't just a policeman. He was a community policeman. He cared and looked out for others, not because it was his job, but because that was the type of person he was at his core. But Dad at this thing about saying hi to everybody, even if they don't speak back. It's amazing I do it. I've learned that. My kids used to laugh at me, like, you speak to everybody as well. I'm walking by a human being, speak to him, let them know you're alive,

and show them you know by saying hello. Love. My dad was a big believer in communication, and he was very consistent as a person. And so those are the probably the traits that I've learned from my dad the most. For as much as Jim Brewer was a star in the Maywood community, Grady Rivers was a town pillar. While Rivers always seem to have time for others, he was also there for his two sons. My dad communicated directly. He was a big reader. I think I've heard every

saying verse in the universe because of that. You know, one of his big things was finished the race. He always told me that finished the race. I don't care what you start. When you're in the middle of a race and you get the lead, that's the worst place to be sometimes because then you slow down, or you look back, or you want to celebrate, or when you fall, you have to get up. His whole thing is it doesn't matter if you're leading or behind. Run hard, run

through the finish line, and finish the race. From an early age, Doc understood the perilous nature of his dad's profession. It was hard. I think the anxiety for me with my dad being a police officer. You know they have the three shifts, but that midnight shift, you know that twelve to eight. As a little child, I couldn't stand when he worked that shift. I was worried. I didn't sleep well knowing that you know he's out at night.

You know, for every little kid, the dark time. The nighttime is the toughest time, and my dad was out of the house and god, you know, for three or four months a year doing that time period, doing those shifts, and that that's when an anxiety hit for me. I was very relieved when my dad retired. I felt like I had made it to the NBA and I could help him retire as well. But he didn't stop doing all the other stuff. You know, when he retired from being a police officer, he still held the same thing

in the community. And this is why a community policing, to me, is so important. Everyone knew my dad. Everyone in Maywood and Chicago knew my dad. Everyone still came to him for help. And so the good news was he was now chasing criminals, I guess anymore, he was just helping people. And so I thought his work after he retired from being a police officer was even grander. He could do it more, he could do it more full time, and I thought it was great for her

little time. In November two thousand and seven, just one game into Doc's fourth season as head coach of the Boston Celtics, Grady Rivers passed away. Later that year, the Celtics won what to this day is their most recent title, and since then, Doc has gone on to become one of the most successful coaches in NBA history and respected voices in all of sports. He carries the memory and inspiration of his father close. My dad died before Barack

Obama became president. My dad was a big breeder and believed in everything, but he also had this one saying that, boy, you can be anything in life except for president. He always would say that, you know, you can be anything in life except for president. And when Barack won, the first thing me and my brother actually got on the phone and the first thing we thought was about our dad. Man dead should be here right now. He would be

so happy. He would be so proud for me. As far as the things that I've been involved in, it's all from my dad and my mom. They always told us to stay involved. You know, I think growing up in Chicago, Chicago such a political city, that is probably natural. But it's definitely due to my dad that I've been involved and believed that you try to speak your truths as much as possible. It's a mindset and a way

of life that Rivers has owned. Earning the praise of players, peers, executives, even leaders far beyond the NBA for his courage to speak up and speak out and this nation needed healing and Doc Rivers, the basketball coach, joking back tears when he said, we're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We've been hung. It's amazing why we keep loving this country and this country does not love us back. I think about that. I think about what it takes

for a black person to love America. That is a deep love for this country that has for far too long, I've never been recognized. I just do. I do the things that I think we should do. Honestly, Sometimes I get that right, sometimes I don't. I'm a human being. Obviously. When you're sitting at home and you're listening to Joe Biden and he mentions your name, it brings pride and makes you proud. I don't do it for that. I can tell you that I do it because I think

it's the right thing to do. I want this to be a great place. I want everybody to be equal or have an equal opportunity, and I want people who have an equal opportunity to understand giving someone else an equal opportunity is not taking anything from you. It's just given everyone the same opportunities that you had. I think that's important for people to know so they don't feel threatened. I don't think anyone's trying to take anything. I think

people want the same thing that everyone gets. Black History Month Inspirations is a production of the seventy six Ers podcast network. Our voiceover artist is Nick McCain. Production support from Doc Rivers and gar Rivers. Music courtesy of APM Music. Look. Traditional installments in this mini series throughout Black History Month, with future episodes profiling Danny Greene, Mike Scott, and Elton Burn