Coney Island to host diversity day in response to defacing of Jackie Robinson statue

August 19th Rededication Ceremony prior to Brooklyn Cyclones Double-Header, and Free Screening of the Feature Film ‘42’ on the Beach as part of Flicks on the Beach

August 14, 2013 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Last week, vandals defaced the statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, located outside MCU Park in Coney Island with hateful words and symbols which have since been removed. In light of these recent events, the Cyclones and Alliance for Coney Island will join together with community leaders to host Diversity Day in Coney Island, for what will be a historic doubleheader on Monday, August 19th in conjunction with the Coney Island Flicks on the Beach screening of “42” later in the evening.

Prior to the Brooklyn Cyclones taking on the Staten Island Yankees in a doubleheader beginning at 5:30 PM, the Cyclones, along with The Jackie Robinson Foundation, The Jackie Robinson Little League, Major League Baseball and other local community leaders will host a rededication ceremony for the Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese statue, which stands as a monument to these men of “courage and conviction” as engraved on the base of the statue which was originally erected in November 2005.

“The events of last week were both heartbreaking and incomprehensible” said Cyclones General Manager Steve Cohen. “But we are trying to turn the negative and disgusting actions of one person into a night of unity and understanding for an entire community. Over 60 years ago, Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese stood resolute in the face of bigotry and hatred, and in a much smaller way we are trying to do the same thing.”

Following the ceremony and baseball game, there will be a special screening of the Warner Bros. movie “42” as part of the “Flicks on the Beach” Series presented by Alliance for Coney Island, Rooftop Films and NYC & Company. Guests will be invited to watch the critically-acclaimed film on a 40-foot screen on the sand of Coney Island near West 10th Street.

“We are proud to be screening the monumental film ‘42’ which provides a biography of Brooklyn hero Jackie Robinson. A silver lining to this offensive act is that Coney Island can band together and commemorate Robinson’s legacy during Diversity Day, and celebrate the strength of our community and the history of Brooklyn,” said Johanna Zaki, Alliance for Coney Island Director of Operations.