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News Coverage by USA Today and The Kansas City Star]]>
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News Coverage by Mid Jersey. News and The Trentonian]]>
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News Coverage by Travel Crested Butte, Crested Butte News, Crested Butte News, Crested Butte News, Rocky Mountain PBS, and Crested Butte News

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Instagram post by Dean Krakel on September 22, 2020

Youtube video by Rocky Mountain PBS]]>
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Photographer: Travel Crested Butte from CB/Mt. CB Chamber of Commerce]]>
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The mural was organized by Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural affairs at Eastern Mennonite University.]]>
Students attending Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg painted a Black Lives Matter mural on a street on campus. This mural is located on the road in front of the University Commons at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. Celeste Thomas, who is the director of multicultural affairs at EMU and senior adviser for diversity and inclusion, was the main organizer of the mural. The idea for this project came to her after a COVID testing site closed a barbershop on campus.  

In conjunction with the university’s Black Student Alliance, they determined the school did need the COVID testing space, but at the same time, they wanted to speak out against racial injustice that has been an ongoing issue for many years in this country. The artists of this 114-foot-long mural consisted of 36 students at Eastern Mennonite University, whose initials are painted on the side. The mural was initially outlined in chalk during the week, but that same weekend was painted again using road paint to prevent fading, and the following Monday there was a dedication ceremony. This mural was sanctioned by the university. The Black Student Alliance and the university both acknowledge that racial injustice is something they do not support in any way. With the hope that their artwork will make a lasting impact, the university noted that this will be a permanent fixture at Eastern Mennonite. 

Sources

Hood, John. “Black Lives Matter Mural Created at Eastern Mennonite University.” Https://Www.nbc29.Com, https://www.nbc29.com/2020/09/23/black-lives-matter-mural-created-eastern-mennonite-university/. 

Jefferson, Lauren. “Black Student Alliance Hosts Dedication Ceremony for Black Lives Matter Mural.” EMU News, 30 Sept. 2020, https://emu.edu/now/news/2020/black-student-alliance-hosts-dedication-ceremony-for-black-lives-matter-mural/. 

Researched by Taylor Rau

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News Coverage by EMU]]>
2020-09-23]]>
Photographer: Rachel Holderman]]>
Stephen Larrick, Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>

The mural was created by the artist Kevin Harris and John Hutchinson, an architect who did the scale layout in the final submission for mayor and council approval. Over 140 volunteers, which consisted of Washington College staff/students and members of the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice and Students Talking About Race, helped paint.]]>
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News Coverage by The Chestertown JPY and The Student Newspaper of Washington College 

Youtube video by Spy Newspapers of Maryland ]]>
2020-09-12]]>
Photographer: Chestertown Unites Against Racism]]>
Stephen Larrick, Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>

Wanda Boyer, a member of the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice; Maria Wood, executive director of River Arts; and Arlene Lee, a member of the Social Action Committee for Racial Justice, came up with the idea of painting the murals in June. They assembled support through community outreach, wrote the proposal for the murals, and did the legal research required to get them approved by the Town Council.

The work was supported by Gordon Wallace (designer), Kevin Harris (artist), John Hutchinson (scale layout)]]>
The Chestertown JPY]]> 2020-09-12]]> Stephen Larrick, Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>
The Black Lives Matter street mural in Florence, South Carolina was finished on September 14th, 2020, after 3 days of painting. This mural, originally located on Barnes Street, was approved by the city. Jamal Howard was the lead artist and designer. Initial plans were for the mural to be painted in July 2020, but the weather in July was either too hot or too wet. Volunteers of all ages from the city came together during the weekend to help paint the mural, which can be described as “begins with a woman, ends with a woman, and in between masculine symbols, Africa, a crown, a winged lion, liberty and a chain” (U.S. News). 

In October 2020, about a month after the mural was finished, Mayor Stephen J. Wukela of Florence, South Carolina ordered that the mural was to be removed. The mural was approved by the city and one of the terms of agreement was that the paint used for the mural was supposed to be biodegradable, and would have washed away in a normal rain cycle. Instead, the painters used permanent paint. The mural was also vandalized with racist messages which also played a factor in having the mural removed.  The mayor said “I am deeply disturbed by the racially motivated vandalism of this piece of art… I am also disappointed in the organizer’s failure to comply with the terms of the authorization for which they applied. In any event, given that the mural has been defaced and that it is in violation of the city authorization, the city will be forced to remove the mural” (WMBF News). 

The mural was originally going to be painted on Pine Street, but the process to get the mural approved on a state street was too complicated. Because Barnes Street was a city street and not heavily traveled on holiday weekends, it was easily approved. The mural came about due to the events that occurred in the summer of 2020, such as the death of George Floyd and many BLM protests around the country. Vice president Damien Douglas of Making a Difference, the charity group that donated supplies for the mural, said “Just because things going on around the world didn’t happen here, doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect us all” (U.S. News). 

Sources

Accettulla, Kevin. “City of Florence to Remove Black Lives Matter Mural.” WBTW, WBTW, 23 Oct. 2020, https://www.wbtw.com/news/pee-dee/florence-black-lives-matter-mural-to-be-removed/ 

Robertson, Mathew. “South Carolina Community Paints Black Lives Matter Mural.” U.S. News, 14 Sept. 2020, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2020-09-14/south-carolina-community-paints-black-lives-matter-mural 

Staff, WMBF News. “'Black Lives Matter' Mural in Florence to Be Removed, Mayor Says.” Https://Www.wmbfnews.com, 22 Oct. 2020, https://www.wmbfnews.com/2020/10/22/black-lives-matter-mural-florence-removed-mayor-says/ 

Researched by the Urban Art Mapping Team

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News Coverage by US News and WMBF News ]]>
2020-09-13]]> Stephen Larrick, Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>

The mural also gives a nod to the community with the inclusion of the words “Tiger Nation” and the logos of the City of Cleveland Heights and community group Safer Heights.]]>
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: 

  1. cleveland.com, Jeff Piorkowski/special to. “PEACE Park Lot Sports New ‘Black Excellence’ Mural: Press Run.” Cleveland, 9 Oct. 2020, www.cleveland.com/community/2020/10/a-new-mural-on-the-coventry-peace-park-lot-a-virtual-jewish-federation-super-sunday-oct-18-more-press-run.html 
  1. Banks, Sheryl. “Heights Libraries Board and FRIENDs of Heights Libraries Create ‘Black Excellence’ Mural.” Heights Libraries, 6 Oct. 2020,  heightslibrary.org/heights-libraries-board-and-friends-of-heights-libraries-create-black-excellence-mural/ 
Researched by Srajan Pillai 

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News Coverage by Cleveland.COM]]>
2020-09-26]]>
Photographer: Donte Washington]]>
Stephen Larrick, Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census]]>