Jackson, MI — The City of Jackson is working with residents to paint a mural on the road surface of W. Washington Avenue that says “Black Lives Matter” in bold letters.
Jackson residents Lana King and Tricia Chamberlain recently approached the City about painting the mural. It was first approved by the City of Jackson Public Arts Commission, and granted final approval from the Jackson City Council at their meeting on Tuesday, June 16. The painting of the mural in the center lane of W. Washington is a community-led event that’s supported by the City of Jackson. The City is closing the street to traffic, providing paint and have consulted with traffic engineers to ensure the mural is properly placed on the street. Funding for the mural comes from the Public Arts Commission budget, which are funds to be specifically used for public art projects in Jackson.
The mural painting comes less than one week after a similar Black Lives Matter mural was painted on the road surface of E. High Street near the MLK Equality Trail and Elnora Moorman Plaza. City of Jackson leadership fully supports these murals and what they represent. “The City is furthering the discussion about how we can dismantle systemic racism in our community. We hope these murals will spur further action and help unite our diverse community,” said City of Jackson Public Information Officer Aaron Dimick. “In Jackson, we firmly believe black lives matter, so these murals are great representations of our community.”
Also at their June 16 meeting, the Jackson City Council unanimously passed a resolution that declares racism a public health crisis, and laid out ways the City can combat systemic racism in the community. The mural will be painted on the road surface from 1 to 8 p.m., prompting a full closure of W. Washington Avenue between S. Blackstone Street and S. Jackson Street from Friday morning into the following Saturday morning. A detour will be posted.
