In honor of both Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Tina Turner fans around the world are invited to celebrate the trailblazing, indelible mark she left on history by contributing to the construction of a six-foot bronze statue of the international Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Organized by the City of Brownsville, where the young Tina (Anna Mae Bullock) grew up, and the Friends of the Delta Heritage Center, the statue will be placed within the city’s Heritage Park – an area located on historic Jefferson Street and across from Carver High where she attended secondary school. The city hopes to unveil the statue during its annual Tina Turner Heritage Days in September.

With $11,000 raised so far, a fundraising goal of $10,000 for the months of February (Black History Month) and March (Women’s History Month) has been set, inviting fans and corporations around the globe to have their names forever tied to this global icon with their financial contributions to this project. Continue to celebrate what would have been Turner’s 85th birthday this past November with a suggested $85 contribution. There is no minimum donation required and various levels of sponsorships are available. A limited number of donors who contribute $500 or more will receive embossed paver bricks (based on a first-come, first-serve availability basis) for personal display, and an additional brick bearing their name/company will be installed in the landscaped paths surrounding the statue. For more information and to make a donation online, please visit WestTNHeritage.com/donate.

“Tina’s impact on the world is immeasurable, and we want to ensure her legacy is honored in a way that reflects her greatness,” said Brownsville Mayor William Rawls. “Placing a statue near her high school is our way of celebrating her life, her resilience, and the inspiration she continues to bring to generations of fans.

The statue will be created by sculptor Fred Ajanogha (aka Ajano), whose works have been showcased all over the world, including the 1996 Olympics, Southern University Museum of Art and the Tubman Museum. His works are also on display in Nigeria and Ghana, and a large portion of his public art pieces can be found in and around Atlanta.

The bronze statue and buildout of Heritage Park is the second installation within Brownsville honoring the late singer. In September 2014, before Turner’s passing, Brownsville relocated the Flagg Grove School (the one-room schoolhouse built by Turner’s great uncle and where she attended elementary school) from the small community of Nutbush to the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center property. Flagg Grove School now serves as the Tina Turner Museum. For more information, please visit WestTNHeritage.com.

The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center offers a refreshing Southern experience showcasing the history and culture of rural West Tennessee. Inside, visitors can learn about the history of cotton, explore the scenic and “wild” Hatchie River and get to know the legendary musicians who call West Tennessee home. Also, located on the grounds is the Flagg Grove School, the childhood school of Tina Turner and now, home to the world-renowned Tina Turner Museum, and the last house of Blues pioneer Sleepy John Estes. The West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center is located along the Americana Music Triangle, the world’s #1 music destination – a preservation project along a 1,500-mile stretch of highway that birthed nine uniquely American genres of music.

Tina Turner is recognized as the most successful female rock artist of all time. In addition to winning an enviable twelve Grammys, the Guinness Book of World Records lists Tina as selling more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Turner’s combined album and single sales total approximately 100 million copies worldwide. Rolling Stone ranked her as 17 on the list of “Top 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” In 1991, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2005 she was recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Tina passed away on May 24, 2023 but left an astonishing legacy on the world of music that is now memorialized at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center and Flagg Grove school in Brownsville, Tennessee, the town where Tina was born.