Just Us Somerville, with the support of the City of Somerville and the Somerville Arts Council, led a volunteer effort to paint a Black Lives Matter mural at the intersection of Somerville’s Broadway and Medford streets on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27.
“The mural is a symbol of justice and solidarity with Black lives, and a way for our community to pay respect to Black lives lost due to police violence,” according to Just Us. “It depicts the portraits of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Eurie Stamps, who was killed during a SWAT raid in his [Framingham] kitchen in January 2011. The officer who killed him, Paul Duncan, was never charged, and still serves at the Framingham Police Department. People know about national cases of police violence and so this mural also serves to raise awareness that there are local cases of police violence in Massachusetts.”
Artists Xerxes Butt and Anthony Araujo-Amaral led the painting with help from volunteers.
The Somerville mural is one of several “Black Lives Matter” street murals that have sprouted up around the country since artists and activists painted “Black Lives Matter” in massive yellow letters down a street leading to the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 5. That artwork attracted international attention and has inspired similar street murals in San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Oakland, Austin, Cincinnati and Brooklyn. In Massachusetts, Black Lives Matter street murals have been painted in Boston’s Nubian Square, Worcester, Brockton, and Springfield.
“The [Somerville] mural is located in Magoun Square, which is one of the most diverse squares in Somerville. This square, unlike nearby squares, has been historically neglected by the city, and has been overlooked as a space for public art,” according to Just Us. “The painting of the mural is a wonderful way for the community to come together. We hope that this community event re-energizes people to continue fighting for racial justice in our city, while always centering the BIPOC community and our narratives.”
Just Us “came together in early June after Mayor Joe Curtatone declared racism a public health emergency. A group of residents of color were concerned that people in the city were making decisions on behalf of them, without actually talking to BIPOC in Somerville,” the organization says. They aim to ensure “that Black and brown peoples’ narratives are not coopted. Ensure that all work is centered around communities of color.”
They call for a civilian review committee, support of business owned by people of color, and hiring of people of color to full time positions in the public schools and city government, including executive positions and city contractors.
Previously:
• ‘Black Lives Matter’ Street Mural Painted In Boston’s Nubian Square
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