A community feels a collective sting as news spreads about the recent theft of a bronze statue honoring the late Lt. Colonel Alexander Jefferson, a member of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen. For Detroit artist Austen Brantley, who crafted the statue, the act represents not just a personal blow but a moment of reckoning for the community about the value of public art and the commitment to preserving Black heritage. “People can destroy art,” Brantley says, “but I won’t give up. I will never stop creating and sharing work that speaks to our interconnected stories.”