Hey!
I decided to talk about the “Power to the People” mural on Woodward this week because the project sheds an amazing light on the city and its role in the racial injustice currently infecting our nation. The New York Times article details the background of the project and its collaborators. The project , led by the award-winning artist Hubert Massey, represents a moment of civil unrest that has literally changed Detroit’s landscape. It was a part of the city’s Juneteenth celebration. Funding partners for the project included the Knight Foundation, Bedrock, General Motors Co., Eastern Market and Motor City Paint. While our nation has endured a lot this year, it is beautiful to witness the city of Detroit take initiative in social change.
As a response to the death of George Floyd, I am proud the city of Detroit is participating in effective forms of advocacy and social justice. Moreover, the mural gave Detroit students a wonderful opportunity to be a part of something transformative. Twenty Detroit students were involved in the painting of the mural. I am so happy that the people of Detroit made this happen!
See ya!
Le’Elle
Hey Le’Elle!
I LOVE that you touched on this mural and your thoughts on it. Hubert Massey actually lives in the HOPE Village neighborhood, where my community placement is located! I was able to talk to a few of my community members about the mural since they knew Hubert, and they really appreciated the fact that some of Detroit’s youth was able to be a part of this tremendous project in addition to the power of the message itself. They felt that this mural was an empowering sign of solidarity amongst Detroiters and I wish we could have all been in the city this summer to see it together!