On September 5th the KCMO community gathered to paint six massive Black Lives Matter murals across the streets of Kansas City. To put into perspective how big these murals are it is said that “other cities have engaged in similar projects, but none reach the scope of Kansas City.” Each mural was designed by a different black artist and over 1000 volunteers came together to help paint these murals.
I believe this action brings out what the Black Lives Matter movement is really meant to symbolize: hope and unity. People of all races, genders, and ages gathered to contribute something beautiful to this movement and show their support of the black community.
Until recently the murals have gone untouched. On the morning of September 14th vandalism was discovered on one of the murals. Somebody left black tire tracks and splattered white paint across the entirety of the mural. Instead of viewing this negatively, the designer of this mural, Harold Smith, decided to view this positively. He and his volunteers covered the vandalism with multicolored hearts, peace signs, and the iconic Black Lives Matter fists.
After revamping the mural, a street party took place with music and food symbolizing the hope the community has and showing that they will always chose to rise above. I read several articles about this and this statement really stood out to me: “The tire prints are like the scars that black people have always had to live with.” This stuck with me because that symbolizes so much strength, so why erase something that can only make you stronger?