Tina Turner statue unveiled in Brownsville
BROWNSVILLE, Tenn.—A community gathers to celebrate and honor a music icon!
The Tina Turner Heritage Days are taking place this weekend in Brownsville.
And Saturday morning residents and fans gathered for the unveiling of a statue in Turner’s honor.
Turner, known as the Queen of Rock-N-Roll, was a proud native of West TN.
The statue was unveiled at Heritage Park located just across from Carver High School, where she once attended classes and played basketball.
Sculpted by world famous, Atlanta-based artist Fred Ajanogha, the statue stands at a towering 7 feet tall.
The monument was commissioned by the City of Brownsville with support from Ford Motor Company.
We spoke with Marianne Dunavant, the Community Relations Manager with Ford, who says when the company came to this community, it was important for them to listen to residents.
In doing that, they heard many residents say they want to make sure the rich history of this community isn’t forgotten.
“We want to preserve history for our youth, right, so when we’re no longer here these statues will still tell that story and remember that Tina Turner came from this community and we want our young people to know that they can do anything they want and thrive too,” Dunavant said.
The statue remains on display and the Tina Turner Heritage Days will continue through Sunday, September 28.
Find more local news happening across West TN here.
