The mural has since been removed and is no longer visible on the street.
Following the murder of George Floyd, the city of Chicago held several protests throughout the summer of 2020. Much like the rest of the country and world following the death of George Floyd, there were many different outcries by the neighborhoods in Chicago. The South Shore neighborhood was a hotspot for people to gather to create momentum for the Black Lives Matter cause. The mural was created in the South Shore neighborhood to help bring the community together and make everyone feel united. The artist and organizers thought it would best to create the mural in the heart of the community instead of placing it in front of controversial areas, so it had a deeper sense of importance for the South Shore community. The location of the mural was also specifically placed on Jeffery Boulevard because it is a heavily trafficked street in the neighborhood. William Calloway stated, “Jeffery Boulevard has thousands of commuters a day [2].” Commuters who passed through the neighborhood encountered the mural every day. Although there was more than just this one Black Lives Matter street mural created in Chicago, this was the first one created in the city.
Researched by the Urban Art Mapping Team
Sources
There is no clear information on the mural’s current condition. The information posted by the Evanston Art Center and new articles have not been updated since the mural’s creation. Evanston Art Center did not respond to a request for an update.
According to Catherine Buchaniec of the Daily Northwestern, like many in cities throughout the United States, residents of Evanston rallied together to protest against police brutality and for Black Lives Matter following the death of George Floyd. Students at Northwestern University also protested in Evanston. In addition, the creation of the mural in a private parking lot was significant because it took away the chances of it being removed by the city. Moreover, other street murals were dedicated to Black Lives Matter in Evanston. Karie Angell Luc and Genevieve Bookwalter of the Chicago Tribune report that a BLM mural created by an Evanston High School sports team was defaced in July 2020.
Sources
https://georgefloydstreetart.omeka.net/items/show/3392Links to an external site.
https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/black-lives-matterLinks to an external site.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/evanston/ct-evr-evanston-black-lives-matter-street-tl-0709-20200706-rbreufgwbjfvpe2imw2ytgvn34-story.htmlLinks to an external site.
Researched by Kaitlyn Juni