Black Lives Matter Street Mural, Chicago, IL

Quentin Crockett

Black Lives Matter Street Mural, Chicago, IL

41.767179, -87.576354

"Black Lives Matter" is painted in blue on the pavement. In between the words, there are red stars.

William Calloway —a former candidate for Alderman of the 5th ward and Chicago community organizer, along with the Chicago community group, South Shore Works, organized the mural.

This mural was created in late July of 2020 and is in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. Although the mural was not sanctioned, it was organized by William Calloway, who was a former candidate for Alderman in the neighborhood where the mural was created [1]. It was also partially organized by South Shore Works, a community group in Chicago. The artist who created the mural is named Quentin Crocket. He designed the street mural and orchestrated its completion with the help of 250 volunteers and community members. The entire mural was completed in a matter of hours. 

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

1. Moore, Evan F. “South Shore Activists Paint Chicago’s First ‘Black Lives Matter’ Street Mural - Chicago Sun-Times.” Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Sun-Times, 20 July 2020, https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/7/20/21331189/black-lives-matter-south-shore-paint-chicago-street-mural. 
2. Smith, Colby. “A Massive Chicago-Themed Black Lives Matter Street Mural Has Been Painted In South Shore - Secret Chicago.” Secret Chicago, Secret Chicago, 20 July 2020, https://secretchicago.com/black-lives-matter-street-mural-chicago/.
3. Kim, Stephanie. “Chicago’s First Black Lives Matter Street Mural | WBEZ Chicago.” WBEZ Chicago, WBEZ Chicago, 21 July 2020, https://www.wbez.org/stories/activists-paint-chicagos-first-black-lives-matter-street-mural-in-south-shore/b1685134-ee13-4c6b-9bc7-8841bd72d66d 

Image URL

News Coverage by Secret Chicago and Chicago Sun Times

Artist: Quentin Crockett

Photographer: @christianaire

Urban Art Mapping Research Project

LA

Located on Jeffery Boulevard between 70th and 71st

Stephen Larrick, Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census