'Exhibiting Possibilities': Yanks honor Black legends with mural

NEW YORK -- For much of the past half-century, Willie Randolph, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia and Aaron Judge have accomplished great things inside Yankee Stadium. Wednesday, the six Yankees legends took their permanent place on the streets of the Bronx, just blocks from the field that helped make them household names.

The Bronx Children’s Museum, in conjunction with The Players Alliance, the Yankees and Bronx Terminal Market, unveiled a new outdoor mural titled “Exhibiting Possibilities: Legendary Yankees,” featuring the six living Black baseball legends, all of whom left their respective marks on the Yankees franchise.

“So many kids are going to come to and from that children's museum, and when you see [people] that look like you, it makes the reality that it’s a possibility,” said former Yankee Curtis Granderson, president of The Players Alliance. “For the players that we put on these walls -- Derek Jeter, Reggie Jackson, Willie Randolph, Dave Winfield, Aaron Judge and CC Sabathia -- these are players that are still here with us to accept the flowers that we have for them, our way of saying thank you. Historically, a lot of times people get their mural when they're no longer here to accept it. I think it was a great opportunity to show different generations being passed on.”

Judge, Randolph, Winfield and Sabathia were in attendance at the mural’s unveiling, as were Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero, and Bronx Children’s Museum executive director Denise Rosario Adusei.

“We hope that every boy or girl that sees these murals will have their own dreams of greatness on the field and, more importantly, in their communities,” Manfred said. “We will continue to support the storytelling of excellence surrounding the Black players in our game, and we look forward to continuing to honor our history, particularly our history of Black players.”

“Today is about inspiring you as you walk down the streets or drive by these murals to see what greatness is, to inspire, to motivate, to set the stage for the future, to know that you can walk in the same path that they've walked,” Cashman said to the group of children at the event. “We're really proud to be a part of it.”

Edwin Jackson, one of the founders of The Players Alliance, former MLB player Mike Cameron, and MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds and Chris Young were among the others on hand for the event.

“This is a statement,” Jackson said. “This is something that will be here forever; when they come around, they’ll get to see these great players. For us, it’s important for them to know that we appreciate them and we are grateful for what they've done for the game of baseball.”

Each mural features a pair of Yankees greats; former teammates Randolph and Reggie Jackson adorn the first, while Jeter and Winfield -- who helped inspire Jeter to form his Turn 2 Foundation -- are featured on the middle mural. The last depicts former teammates Sabathia and Judge, who were all smiles as they posed in front of the artwork.

“To have a mural in the Bronx is pretty cool,” Sabathia said. “To be on the wall with Judge, Jeter, Reggie and all these cool Yankees, it means a lot. This stuff will live on forever.”

“It's a special honor,” Winfield said. “I have a legacy, a history, a relationship with the Bronx, New York and baseball. When they told me that they wanted to do this exhibit and that I would be a part of it, it’s very special.”

The murals were created by Bronx-born artist André Trenier, who said it was “amazing” to be able to contribute this type of work to his home borough.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Trenier said. “I've been blessed to be able to beautify the 161st Street area and River Avenue with plenty of my favorite players; this was something special. I think it's great that they're pushing for Black kids to get involved in baseball.”

The murals are the first installment of a series the Bronx Children’s Museum is planning, one Rosario Adusei was excited to finally unveil.

“The Players Alliance is focused on getting represented and making sure that all children -- Black children, specifically -- see themselves in baseball,” Rosario Adusei said. “We want our kids to dream big, but they also have to see a representation of themselves celebrated in real time. We wanted to have living legends featured on our murals so they know that their dreams are possible with hard work, with resilience and commitment.”