More than a dozen artists began painting a large mural that says “Black Lives Matter” on a block of Tryon Street between Third and Fourth streets in uptown Charlotte on Tuesday morning. The mural should be done by evening.
Artists rolled out paint and hunched over the outlines of the sixteen letters. The letters are the width of Tryon Street, each being painted a different color. The organization Charlotte is Creative worked with the city and arts groups Brand the Moth and BLKMRKTCLT over the weekend to bring the mural together.
Ohavia Phillips helped organize the mural’s construction. She said it is evidence that people in Charlotte are coming together and demonstrating in their own way.
"This is something that we want the world to understand -- it’s not always marching, right? It’s city council meetings, it’s town hall meetings, and it’s art," Phillips said. "And this is exactly what this situation is showing us -- art is activism, as well. And so, for this to be led by black artists, and also for it to be supported by white artists and artists from the Hispanic communities and from every community, it just shows how just much Charlotte pulls up as a community."
#BlackLivesMatter, all right now! pic.twitter.com/gyP4XzywE0
— Alma S. Adams (@RepAdams) June 9, 2020
Once the base layers of paint are done, 16 black artists will then paint a custom design over one of the mural’s letters. Other cities around the country have “Black Lives Matter” painted on their streets, including Raleigh, Oakland, California; and Washington, D.C.
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