Murals in Miami, Florida, honoring baseball legends and groundbreakers Jackie Robinson and Minnie Minoso were vandalized last week, with hateful racist slurs and swastikas being used to deface them.
According to the Daily Mail, local police noted that the vandalism was reported on Monday and is being investigated as a hate crime.
The murals are located in a predominantly black community northwest of Downtown Miami, Dorsey Park. Artist Kyle Holbrook originally painted them in 2011 as part of a Martin Luther King-inspired initiative.
“This was an act of hate, but it will not define us,” Holbrook said.
“This mural was born from a community’s pride, history, and power. We will restore it — stronger, bolder, and with even more purpose. Black history is American history. And no spray paint can erase that truth.”
Jackie Robinson & Minnie Minoso Were Pioneers
Robinson, who joined the majors one year before Minoso in 1947, broke the color barrier in baseball and was a key figure in the civil rights movement. Having starred in the Negro League, he was named the first-ever Rookie of the Year in 1947 and, two years later, was the National League MVP and batting winner.
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He helped bring the Brooklyn Dodgers their first World Series in 1955 and would be the first Black player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He passed away at the age of 53, 10 years later.
Minoso, born in Cuba, was also a star in the Negro Leagues. He went on to become Major League Baseball’s first Afro-Latino player and would make the All-Star team nine times. His No. 9 is retired by the Chicago White Sox.
He died in 2015 and was a posthumous HOF inductee.
Also Read: Controversial DEI Policy Changes Could Eliminate Jackie Robinson Biography
