Recently, artists and Cleveland residents joined a growing number of cities, like Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Akron, to create a message of hope on their city streets. Inspired by the protests against police brutality and calls for change, the 200-foot Black Lives Matter mural at East 93rd Street and Bessemer Avenue on Cleveland’s East Side was organized by activist, writer and comedian Ricky Smith, founder of the non-profit Random Acts Of Kindness Everywhere, and Stamy Paul, owner of Graffiti Heart Gallery.
Black Lives Matter Mural East 93rd & Bessemer Avenue [Clevelandtraveler.com]
Similar to other murals around the country, the letters spell out Black Lives Matter. Embedded in each of the 18 letters and the image of a heart at the end, are messages of hope and unity, calls for justice and tributes to lives lost from senseless violence.
A Message of Hope, Black Lives Matter Mural [Tim Dubravetz / ideastream]
The site of the mural is in one of Cleveland’s less traveled neighborhoods, Union Miles Park, an urban community plagued by violent crime and poverty. It's a location that forces some to step outside of their comfort zone to visit.
Work on the mural began two weeks ago with the closing of Bessemer and East 93rd. Sherwin Williams donated 50 gallons of outdoor paint towards the project. The mural is made to stand up to harsh Northeast Ohio winters, ensuring that the messages of change will be there for years to come.
Volunteer artists pose with Black Lives Matter mural [clevelandtraveler.com]
The city closed the area to traffic until July 6, so people could visit the mural, which was vandalized across some of the lettering earlier in the week. Artists planned to repair the mural.