Venus Williams Joins Effort To Restore Nina Simone’s Childhood Home

As a push to help restore Nina Simone‘s childhood home is currently underway, tennis star Venus Williams is joining the effort!

The Athlete Is Supporting The Nina Simone Childhood Home Project

The news came earlier this week through a press release from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. According to the statement, Venus will specifically help curate an upcoming auction that’ll support the Nina Simone Childhood Home project.

This initiative to restore the site—located in Tryon, North Carolina—began shortly after artists Adam Pendleton, Rashid Johnson, Julie Mehretu, and Ellen Gallagher teamed up to purchase the home for $95,000 back in 2017.

Since the artists got the home listed as a “National Treasure” in 2018, various fundraising efforts have brought in a total of about $500,000 so far.

However, Venus Williams has now joined the effort, and she aims to help preserve Nina Simone’s legacy by raising money to restore the home! In fact, she and Adam Pendleton aim to raise a whopping $5M.

Venus Williams Acknowledges That Nina Simone Has Been ‘A Huge Inspiration For So Many’

Regarding her participation in the initiative, Venus says that she’s “so excited to be a part of this expansive project.” We should also point out that the athlete called it a “privilege” to help curate the upcoming art auction.

“I’m so excited to be a part of this expansive project centering on the life and legacy of Nina Simone, who has been a huge inspiration for so many. Each of the artists Adam and I have selected for the auction has a unique, powerful voice, and we’ve been moved by their generosity and enthusiasm for this important cause. It’s been a privilege to collaborate with Adam in curating the auction.”

As for Adam Pendleton, he says that the legacy of Nina Simone—”one of the most important musical artists of the twentieth century”—must be preserved and simply “cannot be forgotten.”

The auction will take place on May 20 at Pace Gallery in New York City. However, online bidding will begin on May 12 and close on May 22, and you can learn more details here.

Shoutout to Venus Williams for joining the commendable effort to help restore Nina Simone’s childhood home!