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A new mural honoring Negro League's Philadelphia Stars team coming to West Philly this summer

By
Siafa Lewis
Siafa Lewis
Siafa Lewis anchors CBS3 Eyewitness News at 4 p.m.
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Siafa Lewis,
Nate Sylves

/ CBS Philadelphia

A new mural will soon pay tribute to the historic Philadelphia Stars Negro League baseball team.

Mural Arts Philadelphia unveiled the design Wednesday at Philadelphia Stars Negro League Baseball Memorial Park at 44th Street and Parkside Avenue.

philadelphia-stars-mural.jpg
CBS News Philadelphia

It was a party at the intersection of Belmont and Parkside avenues Wednesday as the design of the new mural was unveiled. The mural will once again honor the legacy of the Negro League, the Philadelphia Stars and more.

David McShane painted the original mural after meeting with and hearing stories from several Negro League players. In a full circle moment, 20 years later, he'll also paint a new one.

"This time around, rather than reproduce the exact mural, we get a chance to reenvision it and tell a more full story," he said.

The new mural will be erected on a 12-foot wall at the park where the Stars played.

Mural Arts Philadelphia said it will replace the iconic 20-year-old mural that was taken down across the street in January due to structural damage to the building on which it was painted.

"The ending of that mural is going to give rise to a whole new beginning here behind me," McShane said. "As you can see in the design, the new design gives a chance to tell even more of the story and feature even more players and educate people further and bring more information to what happened right here and what took place. Right here where we're sitting is the ballpark where they played."

The unveiling was intentionally held on April 15, which is Jackie Robinson Day in MLB. The day commemorates the date Robinson made his MLB debut and broke baseball's color barrier 79 years ago in 1947. Before his days with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues.

"As a youngster growing up, I idolized him," Milt Thompson, a former Phillies outfielder and coach who is now an ambassador with the club, said. "I wanted to be just like him and dreamed one day of playing in the major leagues."

Arlington Henderson, 98, played in the Negro Leagues and shared what Robinson meant to him.

"He was everything to baseball and everything to me," Henderson said. "I wanted to be just like him."

McShane summarized, paying tribute to the iconic No. 42.

"We're not just recognizing the past of Jackie Robinson but all that went before him and then all that has also come since then," McShane said.

Construction of the wall is set to begin Thursday. The mural is expected to be completed by the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14.

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