Moneta Sleet Jr. Park gets six new art panels
OWENSBORO, Ky (WEHT) – Six new art panels were unveiled at the Moneta Sleet, Jr. Park in Owensboro, showcasing the different eras of the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer.
Sleet, Jr. was an Owensboro native who won the prize for a photo he took of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King, during his funeral.
Owensboro city officials and dozens of residents gathered for the unveiling. The panels touched on career, education, family and even his time serving in the army.
'Their reaction was at first surprise but also thrilled that we would reach out to them and to want to get more information about Moneta Sleet, Jr, and they were willing to play any part,' said Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee Michael Johnson. 'This is very inspirational to me. I get emotional because it was a long time coming.'
Sleet's Pulitzer Prize win made him the first African American to win the award in the journalism category.
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