The Black Lives Matter Street Mural in Asheville, NC is painted in the middle of the street in a variety of colors. Each of the letters has a unique design. Black student artists showed their support by creating this mural on University Heights (UNC Asheville). It took approximately eight hours to create the mural with permanent road paint on September 30th (UNC Asheville). The mural was created in response to the murder of George Floyd and to demonstrate support for the Black Lives Matter movement, serving as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality.
A couple of weeks after the mural was created at UNC Asheville, the school received a threat to the campus over the Black Lives Matter mural on University Heights. The email was sent anonymously and suggested that the Black Lives Matter mural should be removed. Some students from UNC Asheville were interviewed indicating their thoughts on the conflict, indicating that the mural was “a work of art... It’s simple and does not understand how someone could be so mad about it [mural] that you would threaten other people with violence (ABC News). The student later said, “the mural is a work of art with a strong message, representing a movement that can stir controversy” (ABC News). The threat did cancel classes, but it did not cancel the support of the Black Lives Matter movement at UNC Asheville. It was strongly encouraged that the mural would not be painted over due to a threat. It solidified the university’s stance on issues regarding racial justice and equality. The support still thrives among students and staff at UNC Asheville. The mural is still present at the university.
In response to the threats made by an anonymous individual sent via email to administrators at UNC Asheville, the university continued to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Bill Haggard, commented that “we are not going to back up or in any way be intimated when it comes to our position on the importance of the messaging that Black Lives Matter” (The Blue Banner). Haggard strongly spoke for the university mentioning that part of the reaction to the threat was sadness as the community celebrated the mural and Black lives. The FBI eventually became involved in the investigation one week after the threat, as it was believed to be credible (ABC News). Regardless, individuals of the UNC Asheville community learned after the threat that there are people in the country who do not believe in freedom for all and will even threaten those who do not believe in freedom (The Blue Banner).
The significance of this mural comes from the students at UNC Asheville as it was student-led. The university acknowledged and applauded the students, faculty, and staff who brought their vision, creativity, and integrity to the Black Lives Matter project on their campus (UNCA). The university would also like to recognize the volunteers and local artists who spent their time and talent to create the mural (UNCA). This mural should be celebrated and the impact it has on the UNC Asheville community should not be overlooked due to their affirmation that Black lives matter.
Sources:
Black Lives Matter by UNC Asheville - Exposure. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://stories.unca.edu/black-lives-matterLinks to an external site.#!
Kracher, F. (n.d.). BLM leader disturbed but not deterred by email threat to UNCA. WLOS. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://wlos.com/news/local/blm-leader-disturbed-but-not-deterred-by-email-threat-to-uncaLinks to an external site.
UNC Asheville Response to threat about Black Lives Matter mural, Oct. 9-10, 2020 - news and events: UNC Asheville. News And Events | UNC Asheville. (2021, October 1). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.unca.edu/events-and-news/stories/unc-asheville-response-to-threat-about-black-lives-matter-mural-oct-2020/Links to an external site.
UNCA Strong: BLM Bomb Threat One Year Later. The Blue Banner. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://thebluebanner.net/12592/arts-features-2/unca-strong-blm-bomb-threat-one-year-later/Links to an external site.
Researched by Ulysses Perez PerezOn June 22nd, 2020, one month after the murder of George Floyd, a Black Lives Matter mural was painted on Linwood Avenue in Patterson Park located in Baltimore, Maryland. The mural was organized by the neighbors of the community. The mural was not sanctioned. The mural was created by around 30 people who started painting it in the evening. The only lights they had available were the streetlamps, cellphone lights, and car headlights.
This location was a prime spot for the Black Lives Matter mural. The avenue is part of a program that prevents heavy car traffic from coming through, making it a safer area for people to walk, bike, and run.. Not only does this prevent the paint from wearing off, but people can also actually pass by and take pictures or take a moment to admire the mural. Robbyn Lewis (D-Baltimore City) stated “By painting the mural here, it further demonstrates that the street belongs to people.”
As of May 2023, the mural has faded away.
Alongside the painting of the mural, there were also marches. Baltimore was one of few American cities where the protestors against police brutality have stayed calm. There wasn’t even a curfew in effect. In solidarity with a group of protestors in front of City Hall, personnel of the Baltimore police department took a symbolic knee and even linked arms with the protestors while marching downtown. By creating this mural, it gave people hope. Especially for Lewis, “that mural made me feel that I had grabbed hold of a lifeline of hope,” she said. “We’re all hungry for something good, and there it was.”
Sources
Campbell, Colin. “'A Lifeline of Hope': Black Lives Matter Painted on Street in Baltimore's Patterson Park.” Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2020, https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-blm-street-mural-20200622-pjpog3ubzjfetcuir4a6xxgj6m-story.html.
Cassie, Ron. “Why Baltimore's George Floyd Protest Is Different.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 4 June 2020, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-04/why-baltimore-s-george-floyd-protest-is-different.
Sofastaii, Mallory. “New Black Lives Matter Mural Covers Street in Patterson Park.” WMAR 2 News Baltimore, WMAR 2 News Baltimore, 22 June 2020, https://www.wmar2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/new-black-lives-matter-mural-covers-street-in-patterson-park.
Researched by Faith NordsvingThe 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.
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.
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.
Researched by the Urban Art Mapping Team