Comments and Tags
Be the first to comment on this item!
Clothing and Accessories
Children's Clothing
Sports and Recreation
Black History ➔ Ensemble
Identifier:
2012.10.3Description:
This child's athletic ensemble is from the New World Pom Pon Team and consists of a shirt and shorts. The black shirt is made of cotton and polyester and has a graphic on the center front of the Earth and the words "New World Pom Pons". There is an interior label from Fruit of the Loom that has the materials and care instructions listed. The black shorts also display the same graphic.The New World Pom Pon Team was an organized group of young performers in Grand Rapids from 1987 - 2000. The group was founded and led by Ruth Ann Steward Robinson with financial support from her husband Mr. Ronnie Robinson. She started the group to give kids in her neighborhood a safe, structured, and fun after-school activity. She worked with hundreds of children, most of them from poor minority families. She taught them routines which they regularly performed in parades and festivals around West Michigan. During the course of its history, the group was honored with numerous awards and media mentions, several of which are included in this accession. The New World Pom Pon team is an example of a grassroots community group in Grand Rapids that did significant good for its members. The photographs, uniforms, and awards that make up this accession have potential uses for exhibition and research as excellent examples of community outreach at the end of the twentieth century.
