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The Walls Remember: Murals and the Unyielding Story of Black America

October 24, 2025

Public murals across America are preserving and celebrating Black history despite ongoing attempts to erase it from mainstream education and discourse. Cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Topeka, Birmingham, Jacksonville, and Washington D.C. feature powerful artistic works depicting Black historical figures, movements, and experiences. These murals, created by dedicated artists, serve as public reminders of Black contributions to American society and as forms of resistance against historical erasure.

Who is affected

  • Black Americans whose history is being preserved and celebrated through these murals
  • Residents and visitors of cities where these murals are displayed (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Topeka, Kansas, Birmingham, Alabama, Jacksonville, Florida, St. Louis, Washington D.C.)
  • Students and the general public whose educational access to Black history may be restricted by laws or policies
  • Artists who create these murals (including Ernest Shaw, Charles "Boko" Freeman, Noni Olabisi, Alice Patrick, Spencer Taylor, Solomon Thurman, and Shawn Perkins)
  • Historical Black figures represented in the murals (including Bishop Richard Allen, Harriet Tubman, Octavius Catto, Julius Erving, Mary McLeod Bethune, Dorothy Height, A. Philip Randolph, Zora Neale Hurston)

What action is being taken

  • Artists are creating murals depicting Black historical figures and experiences across major American cities
  • Mural Arts Philadelphia is filling Philadelphia with artwork like "The Colored Conventions: A Buried History" and "Legacy of Bishop Richard Allen"
  • Baltimore's artists are creating murals in the Black Arts District along Pennsylvania Avenue
  • The Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) in Los Angeles is transforming graffiti into meaningful artistic statements
  • Artists in Washington D.C. are painting portraits of local historical figures like Benjamin Banneker, Marvin Gaye, and Reverend Anthony Bowen

Why it matters

  • These murals preserve Black history that is being systematically removed from educational curricula and mainstream historical narratives
  • The public art serves as visible resistance against laws attempting to restrict teaching about racial history
  • The murals transform spaces of historical oppression into sites of pride and remembrance
  • The artwork makes Black contributions to American society visible despite institutional attempts to silence this history
  • These public displays ensure historical figures and movements are remembered even when excluded from textbooks and formal education

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint