From MLK to RBG: using the Barclays Center oculus for civic purposes

From the New York Times, 9/20/20, The Nation Lost a Titan. Brooklyn Lost a Native Daughter.

At the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the display board posted her encouragement: “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

From a Chicago Tribune Commentary: Ruth Bader Ginsburg practiced anti-cancel culture, 9/21/20, by Jonathan Zimmerman:

In 2015, at a Harvard University luncheon held in her honor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked what advice she would give young women today. “Fight for things you care about,” Ginsburg replied, “but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

The quote appeared in full over the weekend on the display board of the Barclays Center, in the heart of Ginsburg’s native Brooklyn, New York, following her death on Friday. But if you go onto the internet to explore the endless array of RBG-themed tchotchkes — mugs, T-shirts and even face masks — you’ll find that many of them omit the second part of her comment. All we need to do, apparently, is fight for what we believe in. Getting others aboard isn’t as important.

A switch for the oculus 

The oculus screen at @barclayscenter was foreseen by its architects as a place where, among other things, live video from Prospect Park could be streamed. It became an electronic billboard with ads. Now, in recent months, we've seen quotes from MLK and Brooklyn's RBG posted. https://t.co/tCgiYybmzl

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) September 21, 2020

Note the comment from NetsDaily. Indeed, the belated switch of the oculus, during the June protests, from rotating corporate ads to a quote from Martin Luther King, represented a recognition that the discordance needed to be remedied. 

(“Wouldn’t it be great,” said SHoP's Gregg Pasquarelli when the new arena design was unveiled in 2010, “to have to have a live digital feed of Prospect Park on the inside of the oculus?”)

As to honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, beloved likely by a large majority of Brooklynites, it was a wise move by the Barclays Center operators.