鈥楪ood Trouble鈥�: Local artists paint mural honoring Congressman John Lewis and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at 澳彩开奖 headquarters
Timothy Brannon lay down on the concrete pavement in front of the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama, and raised his fist.
He was not leading a Black Lives Matter rally or a voting rights demonstration. But he was making a bold statement of hope and perseverance in the ongoing fight for justice in America 鈥損utting his voice behind the rising movement to demand equity for all.聽聽
The moment came last week as Brannon, 17, participated in the unveiling ceremony for the new John Lewis Voting Rights Mural, which graces the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 front entrance. In vibrant color, it pays homage to two civil rights giants we lost this year 鈥� Congressman John Lewis and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Alongside the mural is an outline of a person, fist in air, with words 鈥� 鈥淟ay here & take your photo!鈥� 鈥� that encourage visitors to put themselves in the artwork and, by extension, engage in the movement.聽聽
Brannon, a senior at Booker T. Washington Magnet High, a visual and performing arts school in Montgomery, helped paint the mural along with Heaven Harper, a junior at the same school, and local artist聽.
鈥淔or me, this was a really life-changing experience to be a part of something of this magnitude,鈥� Brannon said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really just changing lives with art because I love art. We all have to be the change that we want to see in the world.鈥�
The mural聽聽鈥撀爌art of the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 ongoing effort to partner with members of the communities it serves 鈥撀爓as designed by Browder, whose art has been displayed at the Rosa Parks Museum in downtown Montgomery and in galleries around the world. She also leads I Am More Than, a youth empowerment nonprofit that hosts community conversations, arts-centered programs for schools and youth-led conferences. Brannon and Harper took part in the project as students of the organization.
Browder is also the artist behind Montgomery鈥檚 historic Black Lives Matter mural, and she owns and operates More Than Tours, which provides educational and interactive tours of Montgomery to students and visitors.
Artist Michelle Browder paints the likeness of the late Congressman John Lewis for a new mural gracing the entrance to the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama. Photos by Jill Friedman.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Mural, commissioned by the 澳彩开奖, depicts the ongoing movement for civil rights and racial justice in Alabama and across the nation.
Browder employed stencil work to infuse her design with uplifting messages and calls to action, including 鈥淓nd Racism Now,鈥� 鈥淔amilies Belong Together鈥� and the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 slogan, 鈥淭he March Continues.鈥�
Browder enlisted Timothy Brannon (front) and Heaven Harper (back) to help create the mural. 聽Both are students at Booker T. Washington Magnet High School in Montgomery, Alabama.
Harper, a junior at Booker T. Washington Magnet High, a visual and performing arts school, serves as a sketch model for Browder, whose art has been displayed in galleries around the world.
The mural is part of the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 ongoing effort to partner with members of the communities it serves. 鈥淎pathy is not an option,鈥� says Browder. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to get involved. You鈥檝e got to participate.鈥�
A powerful statement of hope and perseverance, the mural incorporates sketch work, stenciling, brush work and spray painting. Here, Harper perfects the LGBTQ flag.
鈥淛ohn Lewis used to come [to the 澳彩开奖] every year,鈥� Browder says. 鈥淚 thought that would be a great way to honor him and also to use what鈥檚 happening today [at 澳彩开奖] where the march continues.鈥�
The mural also features an image of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, honoring the trailblazer who championed women鈥檚 rights, reproductive justice, civil rights and workers鈥� rights.
Browder also leads I Am More Than, a youth empowerment nonprofit that hosts community conversations and arts-centered programs for schools and youth-led conferences.
Echoing Congressman Lewis鈥� famous quote, Browder says, 鈥淗opefully the march will continue and people will get in good trouble. That鈥檚 the message. Get in good trouble.鈥�
The 澳彩开奖鈥檚 slogan, 鈥淭he March Continues,鈥� appears throughout the mural, which also features a commanding image of Congressman Lewis, the Alabama native who helped organize and lead the 1965 鈥�Bloody Sunday鈥� voting rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
鈥淛ohn Lewis used to come here every year,鈥� Browder said, 鈥渁nd so I thought that would be a great way to honor him and also to use what鈥檚 happening today [at 澳彩开奖], where the march continues.鈥�
In recent years, Congressman Lewis聽led gatherings of congressional and civil rights leaders聽in wreath-laying ceremonies at the Civil Rights Memorial across the street from the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 headquarters. The Memorial, also commissioned by the 澳彩开奖, records the names of 40 martyrs 鈥撀燾hronicling their deaths and other major events of the movement in lines that radiate like the hands of a clock.聽
鈥淲hen I think about John Lewis on that bridge and the Selma-to-Montgomery march and so many who stood in the face of so much hatred and violence, I deeply appreciate them for that,鈥� said Tafeni English, director of聽the 澳彩开奖鈥檚聽Civil Rights Memorial Center,聽which includes聽interpretive exhibits about civil rights martyrs.
鈥淎nd we here at the Civil Rights Memorial Center and the residents and community of Montgomery don鈥檛 want anyone to forget that countless people died for the right to vote.鈥�
The mural also features a striking image of聽Justice Ginsburg, honoring the trailblazer who made it her mission to guarantee equal protection for women and other marginalized communities. Just above sits her famous quote: 鈥淩eal change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.鈥�
Justice Ginsburg, too, had a connection to the 澳彩开奖.聽
In 1973,聽a sex discrimination case聽filed by 澳彩开奖 co-founder Joe Levin reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and Justice Ginsburg, then a lawyer with the ACLU, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Levin鈥檚 position. Levin authorized her to use part of his oral argument time before the Court and, together, they secured an 8-1 landmark decision, paving the way for U.S.聽servicewomen to receive the same benefits as men.聽
As the artists were planning to paint the mural, they lay down on the pavement in front of the 澳彩开奖 to get a feel for it, Browder said. She hopes visitors will actively engage with the piece and have thought-provoking conversations about it.
鈥淎pathy is not an option,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to get involved. You鈥檝e got to participate.鈥�
Echoing Lewis鈥� famous quote about urging people to get into 鈥溾�� while advocating for social justice, Browder said, 鈥淗opefully the march will continue and people will get in good trouble. That鈥檚 the message. Get in good trouble.鈥�
Photos by Jill Friedman
