Celebrating Black History
g n i k a M an t c a p m I
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crowd gathered Dec. 16 in the parking lot of the Sunoco Station at 1347 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. It is a busy gas station lot, but on that day it was being christened as one of the District’s newest – and more powerful – art galleries. Along the exterior walls of buildings to the west and north of the station loom dramatic portraits of civil rights leader and former Congressman John Lewis. On the north wall, a portrait of Lewis’s face is rendered 40-feet high in stark black and white, above his statement “Getting in trouble, Good
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Attendees at the mural ribbon-cutting in front of the section of the mural on the west wall of H.I.S. Grooming (1242 Pennsylvania Ave. SE).
John Lewis Mural Celebrates Civil Rights Legend by Elizabeth O’Gorek trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” Along the west wall of H.I.S. Grooming, images from Lewis’s life fill the skies. Lewis is shown in a barber chair. The barber chair was a place where the civil rights legend was able to relax, tell stories and give advice. The works of art on the exterior of the shop depict both the life of an incredible man but also underline his connection to the culture —and the neighborhood.
The Man
H.I.S. Grooming owner Jared Scott
Artists Mark Garrett and Dietrich Williams speak at the dedication of the mural, Dec. 16, 2021.
