Portraits of icons from Brownsville were unveiled Saturday as part of a 60-foot mural.
“We Are Brownsville” is written at the top of the mural that features Mike Tyson, Sandra Baker Fortune and 15 other local legends.
“I wanted little Black, brown and colored children to walk past this every day and see this and say, ‘Wow this person looks like me,’” says artist William Ellis.
There were activities for children, a DJ and food at the celebration of the unveiling.
Ellis says the iconic figures were chosen very carefully and that the legends on the mural are who put Brownsville on the map in a positive light.
Chess Grandmaster Maurice Ashley said on Twitter it was an honor to be included in the piece and that, “Destiny is blind to ZIP codes.”