The Black Excellence Street Mural, located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was created on Sept. 26, 2020, by local artists Jimmy Hayden and Wayne Pollard, along with Heights Libraries board member Gabe Crenshaw in an effort to honor Black excellence in the city. The mural was painted on the parking lot of the Coventry PEACE Campus, at the intersection of Coventry and Euclid Heights Boulevard, a street corner and park that is significant to the local Black community. The mural was organized by the Heights Libraries and the FRIENDS board, who collaborated with local artists, to bring the vision of the mural to life.
The mural has been met with a positive response from the community, with many taking to social media to express their appreciation for the artwork. It has been widely shared and has become a popular destination for those wishing to pay tribute to the mural, with many taking photos in front of it. The mural still stands representing black excellence, and it has not been vandalized but has been amended to include the names of people who lost their lives to police brutality or have etched their names in history through their achievements.
The mural was created as a way to celebrate Black excellence to serve as a reminder of the strength of the Black community and to evoke feelings of joy and pride. It features portraits of Black celebrities such as Halle Berry and LeBron James and the names of people who died due to police brutality. The mural includes the words “Tiger Nation” and the logos of the City of Cleveland Heights and community group Safer Heights, and still stands representing the black excellence. It has become a place to pay homage to the lives of those who have been lost, while also celebrating the accomplishments of those who continue to make a lasting impact.
Sources:
This Black Lives Matter Mural is located on the outskirts of Hartford, Connecticut, in a city called Bloomfield. This inspirational piece is at the center of the town square for everyone to walk around and observe. Under the leadership of Hartford artist, Stephen Richmond, other artists helped create this vibrant and colorful BLM mural. It is on the pavement in a vehicular turnaround in front of Bloomfield Town Hall. It was created in a way to celebrate Black pride and show support to those who want to decentralize racial inequality. This overall piece consists of the words “Black Lives Matter” in bubble letters with a black power fist at the end. Each letter has a different painting representing a unique and influential story.
This 90-foot mural was the first of three created in the summer of 2020. Each letter was assigned to a different artist who gave their personal story about what Black Lives Matter means to them. Richmond, the artist in charge said, “Black Lives Matter murals are a sign of protest, to show that when we’re not here peacefully protesting, we’ll be back,” The goal of this mural was to bring everyone together and make aware of some of the issues that most of society is facing. “Bloomfield is a majority Black town, so this is more a message of solidarity and empathy. We do not have to protest in this town. But we are aware of what is happening elsewhere,” said Richmond.
This city-approved mural still stands today.
Researched by Maddy SwartzmillerThe “End Racism Now” mural was created over the course of several days, with volunteers and artists working together to paint the large-scale artwork on Trinity Street in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. The artists who helped to create the mural include Levey Kardulis, Tony Le, Sacha Kelly, Madina Academy, Andre Rochester, Che LaMora, Anne Gogh, Candace Donaldson, Corrine Patterson, Andres Chaparro, and Naieem Kelly. The artwork features the words "END RACISM NOW" in bold, colorful letters, along with other images and symbols related to the fight against racism. The mural still exists and has not been damaged. It is located in the public library parking lot and each letter has its own individual design.
The creation of the End Racism Now street mural took place during a time of significant social unrest and protests across the United States in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. The mural was created as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. The artist said they wanted the mural to promote community. “I did not want chains and handcuffs. I want to bring the people together, not create more lines of separation,” Kardulis said. “This isn’t done for protest. It’s about community, about bridging the gap.”
The location of the mural is significant because it is situated on Trinity Street in downtown Hartford. This area is a highly visible and heavily trafficked area of the city. The mural serves as a powerful piece of public artwork that brings attention to issues of racial injustice and inspires positive change in the community. This piece was created to gain recognition for a very important cause. It was created in a highly populated area so that as many people as possible could gain recognition and hopefully inspire those who witness it to make a change.
Researched by Jeremy Klick
Image URL