Editor’s Note: This article is part of our ongoing process to amplify the voices of our black community and make sure we report on the important issues in our community. Please let us know your thoughts and feedback.
While marches have been a prominent method of combating police brutality and systematic racism, art has also become an avenue to integrate and normalize the conversation of the Black Lives Matter movement. Public displays of art are a new source of protest; this budding artistic movement emphasizes that Black lives, even after the protests settle down, will continue to matter today, tomorrow, and every day after that. Contemporary artists have taken on these ambitious projects to help amplify the voices of the Black community and to ultimately undermine the power of systematically oppressive institutions.
Within our community, the city of Philadelphia has contributed to the movement with exquisite and powerful pieces of public art, demonstrating the admirable strength of Black communities. Notably, Philadelphia’s Municipal Services Building, the most prominent government building in the city, recently commissioned a Black Lives Matter mural. The contemporary mural known as “Crown” depicts a Black woman as an emblem of freedom along with other figures, forming the shape of a crown. The piece, placed squarely at the entrance of the Municipal Services Building, conveys a bold and strong statement to the public eye. This mural also marks the removal of monuments of Frank Rizzo, a previous Philadelphia mayor and notorious racist, thus symbolizing the diminishing remnants of systematic inequality within the city.
Undoubtedly, the most influential street mural resides within the core of our nation, Washington D.C. This street mural, officially referred to as the “Black Lives Matter Plaza,” was funded by the Department of Public Works and painted on June 5, 2020 across a two-block-long section of 16th street, Downtown D.C. The mural is painted in yellow and reads, “BLACK LIVES MATTER.” While this mural was aimed to oppose all forms of police brutality and racism, it was actually seen as a superficial way to ease the social discourse; Black Lives Matter groups felt that the mural was merely an insincere statement, especially considering no policy changes were made by the government. So in response, the very next day activists took their frustrations to the streets and strengthened the statement by adding “BLACK LIVES MATTER: DEFUND THE POLICE”.
While this action received a lot of backlash from other organizations, it solidified the message that the distribution of government funding needs to be revised. Redistributing budgets to fund social services in Black communities such as mental health outlets would help limit interactions with police among vulnerable populations and decrease the need for police presence in communities of color.
Lastly, protest art has been created in memory of victims of police brutality, highlighting the many innocent lives lost to preventable events. Memorials of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have been disseminated across the country, and although dedicated to those specific individuals, these art murals often shine light on other equally important victims who lost their lives at the hands of our supposed protectors. Memorial art murals carry more nuances of sorrow and grief, while also motivating their audience to rise with the Black community and to help ensure that no life is lost because of the color of one’s skin.
The year 2020 has been a tumultuous one, and people are discovering the reality of corruption and hatred within our nation. Nevertheless, this has prompted certain individuals to wake up to such issues and find their voices. The voices of protest are conveyed in a plethora of different ways, yet creative art has served to be one of the most prevalent forms of activism in the Black Lives Matter movement.