An inspirational bronze statue for young women and girls now stands at Smith Playground in South Philadelphia.
The reveal of the celebratory piece, titled “MVP,” took place on Wednesday with dozens of kids present to capture the moment, the Philadelphia Tribune reports. The statue is part of the city’s collection of sculptures but is the only one depicting a young Black girl. Created by Brian McCutcheon, “MVP” was inspired by Philadelphia-born athlete Ora Washington, who was a pioneering basketball player and tennis star in the 1930s.
In Philadelphia, a new statue was unveiled Wednesday titled "MVP"; the statue depicts a young girl and was inspired by Ora Washington, a tennis and basketball star in the 1920s and 1930s https://t.co/3eCwZjueY1
pic.twitter.com/s5blQiEhxH— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 1, 2019
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, McCutcheon said he was inclined to honor Washington after learning about the athlete’s story from research. In spite of Washington’s excellent abilities in basketball and tennis, she still faced the barriers of racism, including not being able to challenge eight-time Wimbledon champion, Helen Wills Moody.
“My first thought was to build a monument to the people who typically use the park, and with the politics of the day, and just thinking about how people of color are not represented in public art, it seemed a natural fit.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the city has recently made a more concerted effort to showcase statues of women, African Americans and people of color.
“We are so proud that when children and teens come to this playground every day, they will be inspired by this powerful sculpture that looks like someone in their community,” said Kelly Lee, Philadelphia’s chief cultural officer, during the unveiling ceremony.
In addition to the new statue, Smith Playground recently received several upgrades to their basketball courts and playground equipment, thanks to contributions from the Make the World Better Foundation.
"MVP" joins the roster of other monuments, statues and parks to honor women of color in the past year. In July, Brooklyn opened the first section of Shirley Chisholm Park, and in June, New York announced plans to commemorate transgender activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in Greenwich Village.
