(Image via The New York Times.)
At the age of 13, Philadelphia native Mo’ne Davis became a Little League sensation and an inspiration for athletes across America. Now, she’ll be celebrating her 14th birthday, alongside her teammates, at a somber site of historical significance.
Davis will be joining her team, the Anderson Monarchs, as they embark on a 20-city Civil Rights Tour this summer. The young players will ride a historic 1947 bus to the Little Rock Central High School, a key space in the fight for integrated schools, among other spaces, including the home of Medgar Evers and the bridge at Selma.
On her 14th birthday, June 24th, Davis will join her team for a visit to the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1963, four young girls, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, all 14, and Denise McNair, 11, were killed at the church in a bombing motivated by hate.
Davis tells The New York Times that the trip is an opportunity to celebrate those who “put their lives out there and got beaten so that we could have the freedom we have.”
The Monarchs begin their 23-day journey on June 17.
[…] powerhouse pitcher Mo’ne Davis took some time off during a 20-City Civil Rights tour with her team to accept the award for Breakthrough Athlete at last night’s ESPY awards. The […]