Last year, a group of residents in rural West Tennessee near the under-construction Ford EV plant known as BlueOval City formed the BlueOval Good Neighbors Coalition, which wants FoMoCo to sign a legally binding community benefits agreement as it aims to ensure that the future plant hires locals and also prevents gentrification from occurring. The automaker responded by creating the Ford Good Neighbor Plan to further aid the local community, offering scholarships to students, restoring a historic African-American schoolhouse in Stanton, and forming an Equitable Growth Advisory Council. Now, Ford is donating money for another local cause.
That cause is a statue of legendary singer Tina Turner, who just so happens to be from the town of Brownsville, Tennessee – just a few miles from the future BlueOval City site. Ford is donating $150,000 to that statue, which will be installed in Brownsville’s Heritage Park, very close to Carver High School, where Turner attended high school and played basketball. The statue – which will be sculpted by artist Fred Ajanogha – will be seven feet in height, finished in bronze, and is set to be unveiled during Tina Turner Heritage Days this September.
“Residents of Brownsville and the surrounding areas tell us how important it is to support programs and places that honor the culture and heritage of the rural West Tennessee region and its people,” said Ford Community Relations Director Gabby Bruno. “We are proud to support this statue in the community where Tina Turner’s journey began. In helping to preserve her legacy, we celebrate all in this region who reach for their dreams.”
“This is more than a statue – it’s a story in bronze, a symbol of triumph, and a message to future generations that greatness can come from anywhere,” said Brownsville Mayor William Rawls. “We are deeply grateful to Ford for recognizing that significance and investing in our community.”
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She was a great singer and dancer in the 1960s and 1970s. Her most famous hit was “Proud Mary”. She appeared in the movies “Tommy” and “Mad Max: Thunderdome”, and a movie of her life was made, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” which is the title of one of her songs.