“It shows that anything is possible,” he says. “Oscar achieved this status through his hard work and his talent. He was an ambassador to Canada and [this statue] shows young Black children everywhere that these things are possible and achievable.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever see another jazz musician get the amount of credit that he received over the years. He was a wonderful inspiration to myself and so many other young pianists.” — Canadian jazz pianist and long-time Peterson friend Oliver Jones