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New Joe
Louis
Statue
Unveiled
at
Greenway
Expansion
in
Detroit
Bunky
McFadden
- Sports
Tell Us
Detroit
News
DETROIT
- A
bronze
statue
honoring
boxing
legend
Joe
Louis
was
unveiled
Tuesday
at the
grand
opening
of a
two-mile
extension
of the
Joe
Louis
Greenway,
marking
another
major
milestone
in the
ambitious
project
connecting
neighborhoods
across
metro
Detroit.
Mayor
Mike
Duggan
joined
community
partners,
residents,
and
Louis'
daughter
Joyce
Barrow-Henderson
to
dedicate
the new
greenway
segment
and
statue
at Grand
River
Avenue
near
Oakman
Boulevard.
The
sculpture,
titled
"Outside
the
Ring,"
depicts
Louis in
his
lesser-known
role as
a
barrier-breaking
golfer
rather
than as
the
heavyweight
champion
most
remember.
"The
spirit
that
never
quits—that's
what
this
statue
means to
me,"
said
Barrow-Henderson
at the
unveiling.
"Not
only for
golfers
but for
families,
for
children,
for
dreamers,
for
every
person
who
knows
that
greatness
does not
come
from
winning
every
fight—it
comes
from
getting
back up
again,
again
and
again."
Six
Miles
Now
Complete
The
newly
opened
segment
runs
between
Joy Road
and
Intervale
Street,
extending
north
from a
section
that
opened
in 2023.
With
this
addition,
nearly
six
miles of
the
planned
29-mile
greenway
are now
complete,
with
another
six
miles
expected
to open
by the
end of
2026.
The new
segment
features
sidewalks
and bike
paths,
landscaping
with new
trees,
decorative
steel
panel
fencing,
lighting,
and
emergency
call
boxes. A
highlight
is a new
trailhead
at Grand
River
Avenue
near
Cloverdale
Street,
which
includes
an
open-air
shelter
for
gatherings,
resurfaced
alley
access
for food
trucks
and
entertainment,
and a
plaza
where
the Joe
Louis
statue
stands.
"The Joe
Louis
Greenway
is
transforming
miles of
blight
and
creating
beauty
and
recreational
opportunities,
while
connecting
neighborhoods
in a new
way,"
Mayor
Duggan
said.
Honoring
a Golf
Pioneer
Detroit
artist
Austen
Brantley
created
the
bronze
sculpture
over
five
months,
working
with the
city's
General
Services
Department
and
Office
of Arts,
Culture
and
Entrepreneurship.
The
piece
specifically
honors
Louis'
work
desegregating
American
golf—a
chapter
of his
legacy
often
overshadowed
by his
boxing
career.
Louis
was the
first
African
American
to play
in a
PGA-sanctioned
tournament.
Between
1941 and
1951, he
held
eight
Joe
Louis
Open
golf
tournaments
in
Detroit,
personally
putting
up
$1,000
in prize
money to
showcase
Black
golfers
and help
pave
their
way into
PGA
tournaments.
"He was
the
first
African
American
to play
in a
PGA-sanctioned
tournament
and held
Joe
Louis
Open
Tournaments
right
here in
Detroit
to
showcase
the
talent
of Black
players,"
said
Rochelle
Riley,
Director
of Arts
and
Culture
for the
city.
A
Regional
Connector
When
complete,
the Joe
Louis
Greenway
will be
a
29-mile
bike and
pedestrian
path
connecting
23
Detroit
neighborhoods
with
Highland
Park,
Hamtramck,
and
Dearborn.
The city
purchased
an
8-mile
abandoned
rail
corridor
for the
project,
and
since
construction
began in
2021,
crews
have
removed
31,000
tires
and over
600,000
tons of
debris.
"I look
at this
project
as a
connector
and I
use the
word
unifier
to
describe
it, and
that
also
makes me
think of
Joe
Louis,"
said
Gerald
Jeter,
who
lives
and
attends
church
along
the
greenway.
"He was
a
unifier,
not just
a boxing
champion
but a
champion
of
Detroit."
The new
segments
were
funded
by $35
million
in state
ARPA
dollars
awarded
by the
Michigan
Department
of
Natural
Resources,
with the
Oakman
Boulevard
shared-use
path
supported
by a
$1.4
million
MDOT
Transportation
Alternative
Program
grant.
The
sculpture
was part
of a
beautification
effort
funded
by a $40
million
Michigan
Economic
Development
Corporation
grant.
"The Joe
Louis
Greenway
is
designed
with
community
at its
heart,"
said
Leona
Medley,
Executive
Director
of the
Joe
Louis
Greenway
Partnership.
"Every
new mile
reflects
the
voices
of our
neighbors,
ensuring
that
connection,
safety,
and
beauty
remain
central
to its
impact."
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