75 cents
• See Opinion/Forum pages on A4 &5 •
Volume 46, Number 39
W I N S TO N - S A L E M , N . C .
• See Sports on page B1•
THURSDAY, June 18, 2020
‘End Racism Now #BLM’ mural by local artists use Main Street to send message
Photo by TJ James
BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE
The 100 block of Main Street was transformed into a giant canvass last weekend as local artists used the street in front of City Hall to send a message. Eighteen local artists spent the bulk of the day on Saturday, June 13, painting “END RACISM NOW #BLM” in giant letters on the street, a
to show where they stand. Similar murals have been painted in Brooklyn, Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver, and Charlotte. The mural here in WinstonSalem is the brainchild of local activist and community organizer Rasheeda Shankle. Shankle said everything came together for the mural in just two days. Shankle reached out to local artists to help with the mural and the city
good. This is exactly how it’s supposed to be. Peace and unity and love among all walks of life, not hatred for one another, but love for thy brothers and sisters as we have shown today and as we’ve shown in the past week of protesting,” Shankle said. “As a community we have set a high bar for other cities showing that we can come together peacefully to fight for a purpose and to let our
Leo Rucker puts the finishing touches on his contribution to the mural that was painted on Main Street last weekend.
Artists and the letter they worked on E- Kayyum Allah N- Andrea Revelle
N- Leo Rucker O- Courtney Jones
D- Tyamica Mabry
W- Fredo Felix
R- Terry Suave
#- Phillop Osborne, Brandon Coley, Ryan IIgi
A- April Reich C- Donald Sawyer I- Ariel Carpenter Photos by Tevin Stinson
Fredo Felix uses spray paint to touch up his work on Saturday, June 13.
M- Arielle Buford
M- Chloe Beatty
voices be heard without displaying violence. Peacefully showing and letting people know that we have had enough. Enough of senseless violence, enough of racism, enough of hatred toward an individual because of the amount of pigment in their skin.” One artist was responsible for each letter of the mural and three artists worked together on the hashtag. A local artist helping finish the mural that was painted on the street. The mural reads “END RACISM NOW #BLM.”
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approved the commission of the mural a few days later. Mayor Allen Joines provided funding to purchase the paint, the Arts Council of WinstonSalem and Forsyth County arranged for the artists to be paid for their work, and on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. the mural started to come to life. The Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity and Triad Cultural Arts, Inc. helped with the project as well. “People from all walks of life have come together in peace for a greater
L- Latisha Coleman
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tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement and fight against racism. Since Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ painted on the street leading to the White House earlier this month, cities across the country have been using the streets
S- Jazmine Moore
B- Jamilika Hodrick