Last Call

Nicole Coleman

artist and activist

DYLAN AZARI

painted the “B” in Worcester’s Black Lives Matter mural on Major Taylor Boulevard. On Friday, Coleman caught up with Worcester Magazine over the phone while she inspected the damage to the mural incurred by a vandal just hours before.

What is your history with Worcester?

I was born at UMass Memorial on February 10th, 1986. I’ve lived in other cities. I spent time in Southern California, New York, and down in Tennessee, but something always brings me back. There’s no place like the Woo.

How did you get involved with the mural?

I had been in contact with Che Anderson about what we’ve been doing in the city around the Black Lives Matter movement and what we should do next. He hipped me to the fact that there were talks of a BLM mural. I said, “You know, man, you just let me know however I can help.” I didn’t know that would turn into me actually being one of the main artists for this project. I’m not mad about it! I’ve been an artist since I was 6, and I’ve done smaller-scale wall murals, but nothing of this size or on pavement. This was definitely a really special experience on a multitude of levels.

you were painting?

It was like a cookout. It was like a family reunion. Many of the people I had never met before in my life, but it seemed like we had known each other for years. I told them, “I feel like I’ve known you forever.” That’s just kind of how artists operate. We could all be from different places, different spaces, but we’re on the same wavelength. Creativity is what brings us together. It’s been really interesting, especially as a Black female femme artist. For me, art has been my one sanctuary. It doesn’t really depend on the medium. It could be music, could be painting, could be dance. Art has been my saving grace for my whole life. And it’s always been an area where I felt like I could be Black out-loud, you know? And even though people try to discourage Black female femme artists, our work is pivotal to this movement and it provides us with a space to release energy into our art we don’t want to keep bottled inside. We’re so strongly rooted in our culture and our heritage. Recently, especially after painting this mural and seeing the amount of hate that’s come against it, it’s been really challenging. The Black experience is so filled with hardship and with struggle and with a lot of difficult mental health issues that we don’t discuss publicly. There’s generational trauma that exists within the Black community here in America. It’s hard to deal with that on its own, and even harder when you wrap up the hateful things that are being said and done to us and about us daily. The artistic outlets where I can go and feel free are now under attack too. I really just want people to understand that saying, “Black Lives Matter,” is not a statement of superiority. It’s a statement of acknowledgment. We are saying, “Please make note of what we have done to contribute in so many different areas of this country. We’ve helped build this country along with other BIPOC groups of people. We are a part of what makes America beautiful. We are part of what makes America ‘great.’ America can’t be great without Black people.” That’s what we’re trying to tell y’all. We just want our lives respected. We don’t want our people to be brutalized and murdered without consequence. We want to be treated like human beings because that’s what we are. And we believe that all humans should be treated equally

Nicole Coleman designed and

What was the energy like while

I saw you speak at the “Say Her Name” rally where you spoke about healing as a Black community. How can we as a society begin to overcome the fear and anger that you’re faced with as a Black woman every day?

with respect and dignity.

Thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable and speak the truth. What can you tell me about the damage done to the mural?

I am not a professional assessor. But, I can see that people did burnouts. There is a fairly significant amount of damage done to part of the “L.” There are burnouts all the way down and it does look like there might be feces in the middle of one of the letters. That’s all I can tell from just walking down and checking it out. People are definitely trying to come against it.

What does the future look like for you as both an activist and an artist?

I am doing everything I can to be a part of the progress. I’m hoping to create more public art here in the city and get more involved in the arts community. I’ve traveled so much over the last few years. This is the first time I’ve really felt like, “Okay. This is where I’m most needed and this is my home.” I’m hoping to help build some community spaces and work with people I’ve met around the country on nonprofit work to increase unity and inclusion. I wrote, “Choose love, not hate,” in the middle of my piece for a reason. I think that hate is so divisive and it’s really a tool of evil. Love can do such incredibly powerful things. Even this mural project alone showed that people from all different backgrounds and cultures could come together to create something with a really beautiful message and to celebrate Black life and Black heritage and culture. That’s what means the most to me, not the people out here trying to create division and tear others apart. My career, my life, my mission, and my legacy are dedicated to cultivating love and J U LY 30 - A U G U S T 5, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM togetherness. – Sarah Connell Sanders 23