MLB and its 30 golf equipment will substitute the vandalized Jackie Robinson statue that was damaged into and destroyed on Jan. 25 in Wichita, Kansas, the league introduced Thursday, the primary day of Black Historical past Month.
Bob Lutz, the founding father of the nonprofit League 42, which erected the statue in 2021, additionally posted about MLB’s initiative on social media, calling it “unbelievable.” The nonprofit group, based in 2013 and named after Robinson’s jersey quantity, is a baseball league that exposes underprivileged youth to the game.
“The Commissioner’s Workplace and all 30 golf equipment have dedicated to funding the substitute of our Jackie Robinson statue and offering different technique of help for League 42,” Lutz stated in a put up on X, previously referred to as Twitter identify. “We’re grateful for his or her contribution to our mission of celebrating Jackie’s legacy by means of Wichita’s youth.”
Along with changing the statue, MLB and the golf equipment will present League 42 with funding to help the nonprofit group’s educational and on-field objectives for its individuals, based on the league’s announcement.
The life-size bronze statue – a part of the Jackie Robinson Pavilion at McAdams Park in Wichita and considered one of 4 Robinson statues within the nation – was minimize right down to the ankles and stolen within the early morning hours of January 25. THE statues have been discovered by Wichita firefighters Tuesday, dismantled, burned and past restore in a small trash fireplace.
Wichita Police Division
Whereas Wichita police on Monday positioned the van used to steal the statue, officers and detectives are nonetheless investigating the motive for the theft and trying to find these accountable.
Police Chief Joe Sullivan stated final week that he was “pissed off” by the incident and saved in thoughts the beginning of Black Historical past Month as a possible motive for the crime whereas that his division is investigating the matter.
Previous to MLB’s dedication to rebuilding the statue, the 42 League launched a GoFundMe marketing campaign to lift cash for a brand new statue, gathering greater than $182,000 in donations. In an replace posted to the fundraising web page, League 42 stated it might nonetheless use these funds to fund extra safety and lighting across the Robinson statue podium.
