BLOOMINGTON — For the second time, Bloomington will paint “Black Lives Matter” on a downtown street as a condemnation to racism, the Board of Public Works approved in a resolution Tuesday.
The BLM street mural is slated to be painted on W. Sixth St., between N. College Ave. and N. Walnut St. on Saturday.
The block will be closed for the majority of the day on Saturday as 60 volunteers work in 45-minute shifts to paint the mural. Local Black artists Christina Elem and Raheem Elmore will again lead the project from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“The City is proud to welcome these murals to our public art landscape,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “Putting the words Black Lives Matter at the heart of our downtown matches up with values at the heart of this community: equity, inclusion, and justice. The words on the street will serve as a constant reminder to combat the persistence of racism and discrimination in Bloomington and beyond.”
The first mural was painted next to the Banneker Center last fall after the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and Dreasjon Reed in Indianapolis.
The second mural comes after the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, in Minneapolis, and the altercation in Virginia between police and Army Lt. Caron Nazario.
“What a time for such an installation,” said BCCAC President Nichelle Whitney. “When we started this journey, we were mourning the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Now, we watch anxiously as the Chauvin trial is underway; and as if this isn’t enough, we are now grieving the loss of Daunte Wright. Coming together as a community to paint this mural is a powerful action that will also bring a bit of the consolation that we all need.”
