Feb. 20 (UPI) — President Donald Trump welcomed attendees to the White House Thursday to celebrate Black History and announced the planned National Garden of Heroes that will honor Black Americans and others.
“Today we pay tribute to the generations of Black legends, champions, warriors and patriots who helped drive our country forward to greatness,” Trump said during the event that was televised live.
“During Black History Month, we pay tribute to these heroes and so many others,” Trump said. “Not just because they are Black heroes but also because they are truly American heroes who inspire all of us.”
He mentioned Prince Estabrook who was the first person to be wounded during the Revolutionary War and announced a statue of him will be added to the new National Garden of American Heroes.
The garden will include statues of Harriet Tubman, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant and others.
Trump said many states have offered to host the National Garden of American Heroes and a search team is assessing potential locations.
Meanwhile, Congress is seeing a rise in representation among Black politicians, he said.
“We now have more Black Republicans serving in the House since 1870,” Trump said, adding that more accomplishments of Black Americans will be celebrated during the nation’s 270th birthday on July 4.
Among guests at the White House event celebrating Black History Month were Tiger Woods, Alveda King, who is the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., and football star Herschel Walker, who Trump nominated as ambassador to the Bahamas.
Woods also was in the nation’s capital to meet with Trump and others regarding other matters, Golfweek reported.
Every president has celebrated Black History Month since 1976, but this year’s celebration did not include federal agencies due to Trump’s executive order ending the federal government’s diversity, equity and inclusion events, Black Information Network reported.
Officials with the Department of Defense earlier announced the DOD would not celebrate any cultural awareness months, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the DOT no longer will participate in celebrations that are based on “immutable traits or any other identity-based observances.”
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