Courtesy photo
By Shirley Hawkins
Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced plans to honor three Black sports icons — NBA star Kobe Bryant, boxing legend Muhammad Ali and baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson — in the National Garden of American Heroes alongside the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Aretha Franklin.
Trump made the announcement Feb. 20 at a White House event to celebrate Black History Month. The garden, which is currently in the planning stages, will showcase 250 statues of American historical figures when the country celebrates its 250th anniversary next year.
Trump shared plans to feature more than 10 Black historical figures in his proposed National Garden of American Heroes.
“The National Garden will be built to reflect the awesome splendor of our country’s timeless exceptionalism,” Trump said. “It will be a place where citizens, young and old, can renew their vision of greatness and take up the challenge that I gave every American in my first address to Congress, to ‘believe in yourselves, believe in your future, and believe, once more, in America.’”
“We’re picking the final sites now,” Trump said, adding that the site will be a “highly classical sculpture garden.”
“It’s between various states that want (the Garden) very badly. We’ll honor hundreds of our greatest Americans to ever live, including countless Black American icons.”
Bryant, Ali and Robinson will eventually be joined by golf superstar Tiger Woods, Trump said.
Trump expressed special praise for Robinson — “What a great athlete that was” — and cracked a joke about Muhammad Ali with Woods.
The golf legend was present at the ceremony and Trump asked him: “What do you think?”
Woods responded: “Not bad.”
“The garden will predominantly feature incredible women like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin and Coretta Scott-King,” Trump added.
‘”It will be something very extraordinary. We’re going to produce some of the most beautiful works of art in the form of statues for men like Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington … (and) Martin Luther King Jr.” Trump said.
Shirley Hawkins is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers. She can be reached at shirleyhawkins700@gmail.com.
