After a statue of pro baseball legend Jackie Robinson was stolen and destroyed, people and even Major League Baseball are rallying to replace it.
As of this writing, nearly $180,000 in donations have poured in to replace the Robinson memorial statue that was found vandalized after being stolen from a youth baseball field in Kansas last week.
Donations Pour In
Something terrible that happened seems to now be bringing people together.
USA Today reports, “During the Jan. 24 theft, two suspects knocked over a bronze statue of the first Black MLB player in McAdams Park, and allegedly took off with it in a pickup truck, the Wichita Police Department reported. Nothing was left at the scene except for shoes from the statue. Officials said the statue weighed hundreds of pounds and was found two days later, burned beyond repair.”
“Officials estimated damages as a result of the crime to be close to $75,000,” USA Today noted.
The story continued:
As of Thursday morning, an online fundraiser created byJaclyn Evans, the Administrative Assistant for League 42 Foundation, a nonprofit organization, had raised more than $177,000 to replace the memorial.
According to the page, since the fundraiser was created four days ago, donations from more than 3,300 people have poured in.
“Money donated will go directly to this cause,” Evans wrote. “Any donations that exceed our goal will be put to use to fund our operational needs, including our four education programs.”
Jackie Robinson Will Stand Tall Again
Organizers say that after a statue of the baseball icon is restored to its rightful place, they will also step up security measures to prevent something like what took place from happening again.
In 1947, Robinson became the first Black professional MLB player, breaking the color barrier at a time when doing so was unthinkable to many.
Jackie Robinson has long been considered a hero – and rightfully so – in both the sport and American popular culture.
