Reparations Now Street Mural, Berkeley, CA

- Title
- Reparations Now Street Mural, Berkeley, CA
- Coverage
- 37.852956, -122.273107
- Description
- "Reparations Now!" is painted on the pavement in red, yellow, and green. These are the colors of the Pan-African flag.
- Source
This mural was painted on Ellis Street between Prince Street and Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, California. The photographer of the image is Todd Mathews. The mural is approximately 10 feet tall and 192 feet long. The “Reparations Now!” mural was created on July 26, 2020, in response to the violence against Black Americans as well as a national call for racial equality.
The main colors on the mural are red, yellow, and green, symbolizing the Pan-African flag. The mural was sanctioned and was aided by neighbors on Ellis Street who painted the colorful letters to send out a message demanding reparations for those whose descendants were enslaved. The residents believe it was “necessary and appropriate” in the wake of such social reform. This mural was the third consecutive mural to be painted in Berkeley since the killing of George Floyd. In the previous month, students from Berkeley High School painted a “Black Lives Matter” mural on Allston Way and another mural that reads, “Ohlone Territory” on Milvia Street during a wake of protests that occurred back in March of the same year.
One of the neighbors, Masha Albrecht, said the date of the mural's creation is on what would have been the 77th birthday of Margy Wilkinson, who lived in the middle of Ellis block. Margy was also one of the main organizers and supporters of the mural. One of the members present for the creation of this mural was a local muralist named Edythe Boone, who is an activist and educator on the issues of racism, poverty, and violence associated with young people of color. It is unclear today if the mural still exists, but it has prompted local governments to consider reparations for Black Americans, just as reparations have been made to Japanese Americans who were forced into internment camps during WWII.
Sources
“Reparations Now Street Mural, Berkeley, CA,” George Floyd & Anti-Racist Street Art,
accessed March 14, 2023, https://georgefloydstreetart.omeka.net/items/show/3445.
Taylor, Tracey. “Reparations Street Mural Now Complete on Ellis Street.” Berkeleyside, 4 Oct.
2022, https://www.berkeleyside.org/2020/07/27/reparations-street-mural-now-complete-on-ellis-street.
Taylor, Tracey. “Berkeley Neighbors Start Work on Street Mural Calling for 'Reparations
Now!'.” Berkeleyside, 4 Aug. 2022, https://www.berkeleyside.org/2020/07/23/berkeley-neighbors-start-work-on-street-mural-calling-for-reparations-now.
Researched by the Urban Art Mapping Team
Image URL
News Coverage by Berkeley Side and Berkeley Side- Rights
- Photographer: Todd Mathews
Images are collected in this archive for educational purposes and are not intended for commercial use. Reproduction rights for all images remain with the creators/photographers when we are able to identify them.
We seek to identify artistic creators when they want to be identified, and we respect their rights to protect their identity should they choose to remain anonymous. Please contact us if you are the creator of work in this archive and you wish to be identified or if you wish for your work to be removed from the archive. - Publisher
- Urban Art Mapping Research Project
- Date
- 2020-07-26
- Contributor
- LA
- Spatial Coverage
- Located on Ellis Street between Prince Street and Ashby Avenue in South Berkeley
- Is Referenced By
- Stephen Larrick, Black Lives Matter Street Mural Census