BLM Expand Medicaid Street Mural, Montgomery, AL
Protesters, including a former mayor of Tuskeegee, were arrested after painting "BLACK LIVES MATTER EXPAND MEDICAID" on the street during a protest.
Alabama SaveOurselves (SOS) and Movement for Justice and Democracy organized the mural.
Karen Jones and former Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford
Image <a href="https://www.al.com/resizer/NOixBkwItrzCNXoAgb3jR9yssfo=/1280x0/smart/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/advancelocal/ZQJJUDEXARD3ZAT372X3PZJYII.jpg">URL</a><br /><br />News Coverage by <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2020/07/montgomery-police-charges-coming-after-black-lives-matter-painted-on-street-outside-alabama-capitol.html">AL.Com</a>
Urban Art Mapping Research Project
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2020-07-16">2020-07-16</a>
LA
Artists: Karen Jones and former Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford
Photographer: WSFA 12 News
32.377714, -86.301212
Black Lives Matter Street Mural, Montgomery, AL
Black Lives Matter is painted in yellow in a circular shape around a fountain. In between the letters are outlines of people and red/green/black shapes. These colors are a part of the Pan-African flag. The years 1619, 1865, and 2020 are painted in white.
Michelle Browder
<p><span>The idea of the Black Lives Matter mural in Montgomery, Alabama, came from Michelle Browder. She is an artist who went with other artists who had volunteered to help downtown to this area around the fountain with sidewalk chalk and roller brushes. This Black Lives Matter mural took less than a week to put together and was finished on Juneteenth. It was important that the mural was completed on Juneteenth because it marks the day when over 250,000 enslaved people in the state of Texas were declared free by the US Army in 1865. The mural was for the men, women, and children who were victims of slavery. The mayor of Montgomery at the time, Steven Reed signed off on this project and saw the significance it had in this specific area. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The mural was not created with permanent paint and was only meant to be temporary. The paint that was used for this mural in Montgomery washes away with water. When the mural was put up the city had already planned to pressure wash it away once the fading had started. There is no evidence that this Black Lives Matter mural was vandalized, it seemed to have been respected and honored by the community around it. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>This Black Lives Matter mural in Montgomery, Alabama was placed here for very specific reasons. It was placed at the fountain across from a building where the Civil War began. Michele Browder believes this is so impactful because it is 400 years after the Civil War, and children are still being enslaved and killed. This mural being painted around the fountain had the most meaning for African Americans. There were no other Black Lives Matter murals in Montgomery but in Birmingham, a mural was painted on the streets that was vandalized. Montgomery was a big spot for George Floyd protests because it is the state capitol. Although the Black Lives Matter mural was only temporary, it had a lasting impact. </span><span> </span></p>
Researched by the Urban Art Mapping Team<br /><br />Image <a href="https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2020/06/19/montogomery-juneteenth-mural-where-slave-market-once-was-honors-black-lives-downtown-alabama/3213051001/">URL</a><br /><br />News Coverage by <a href="https://www.wsfa.com/2020/06/19/black-lives-matter-mural-painted-around-court-square-fountain/">WSFA12</a> and <a href="https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2020/06/19/montogomery-juneteenth-mural-where-slave-market-once-was-honors-black-lives-downtown-alabama/3213051001/">Montgomery Advertiser</a><br /><br /><span>Additional Artists that participated are:</span><br /><span>1. Toni Toney: @toni.toney - L</span><br /><span>2. Airelle Peters: @blackmermaidairie -</span><br /><span>3. DaNeal Eberly: @artbydaneal -</span><br /><span>4. Alana Taylor: @alanaenfinity</span><br /><span>5. Kevin King: @artbykevinking -</span><br /><span>6. SaQuia Evans: @softt_spokenn -</span><br /><span>7. Karyn Reddick: @karynreddick -</span><br /><span>8. Lloyd Kelly</span><br /><span>9. Amy Campbell: @antiauk -</span><br /><span>10. Deborah Shedrick</span><br /><span>11. Milton Madison</span><br /><span>12. Kalonji Gilchrist: @slickgilchrist -</span>
Urban Art Mapping Research Project
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2020-06-19">2020-06-19</a>
LA
Artist: Michelle Browder
Photographer: Kyle Sampson
32.377381, -86.309081