Enough is Enough Street Mural, Seattle, WA

The Enough is Enough street art mural in Seattle, Washington features the phrase “Black Lives Matter” painted in large black letters on the sidewalk with the phrase “Enough is Enough” written underneath it in italic red letters. The work is in front of the Seattle City Hall and was sanctioned by the city in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement using funds from the BLM relief fund. The piece was requested by several community groups, including the Center on Contemporary Art and the Onyx Fine Arts Collective. The design for the mural was created by a muralist for the Seattle Department of Transportation. That same department is also responsible for the upkeep of the mural, which is to be maintained by the city for at least the next 5 years. It was important to the Seattle community that the mural be created on city property, specifically in front of city hall, to demonstrate the government’s commitment to creating positive change for minority populations. Mayor of Seattle Jenny Durkan said, “For years to come, all those who pass through Fourth and Cherry will see this celebration of the profound impact the Black Lives Matter movement is having on our city and country. I’m grateful to our community partners and City staff who made this installation a reality” (Zhou). The promised maintenance of the mural also reaffirms the government’s commitment to this cause.  

 This is not the only Black Lives Matter mural in Seattle, as other murals have popped up around the city following the months of protesting in 2020. A similar mural with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” in large letters is painted on the street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. In this mural, each large letter was designed by a different artist of the Black community. This mural is also guaranteed to be maintained by the city for the next 5 years as the city has agreed to pay the artists to return to the mural once a year to touch up their letters.  

Sources

Lewis Kamb. "How the Black Lives Matter Street Mural Came Together on Seattle's Capitol Hill." The Seattle times, Jun 12, 2020. Global News & ABI/Inform Professional, https://search.proquest.com/docview/2412015044. 

Zhou, Amanda. "Seattle Black Lives Matter Mural Takes Message to the Street." The Seattle times, Sep 23, 2021. Global News & ABI/Inform Professional, https://search.proquest.com/docview/2575193968. 

Researched by Katie Sadowski