On a sweltering day during the summer of 2020, on a stretch of Race Street in the heart of the downtown district, volunteers of all ages, races, and artistic abilities converged to anoint a new era in Cambridge. Working together tirelessly in the heat, wielding paint brushes and rollers, they brought to vivid life artist Miriam Moran’s creative vision intertwining the words Black Lives Matter with pictorial tribute to enduring heroes–Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, and Gloria Richardson, among them– adorned with rich red rose blossoms, featuring the Maryland state flag’s distinctive design, and capped with the message “Say Their Names…”
After a tumultuous year of pandemic, protests, and political activity, the groundbreaking mural remains emblazoned on the town’s main thoroughfare, bearing steadfast witness to a moment in time that reverberated throughout the nation and world. Like the fiercely dedicated community spirit that brought it to life, the BLM mural on Race Street has withstood ravages of time, weather, traffic, and even a defacing incident (which turned into a teachable moment.)
At the start of summer 2021, the BLM mural again brought people together, putting the ‘unity’ into community. This time the site served as a focal point for celebration and renewed dedication, helping mark Saturday, June 19 as the first official Juneteenth observance in Cambridge, just as it was proclaimed a federal holiday.
Feeling the mural might benefit from a fresh coat of paint, artist Moran partnered with Adrian Green Holmes and the nonprofit Alpha Genesis CDC inviting “artists, activists, and ‘artivists’” to once again partake of open paint cans and bring an asphalt canvas to life.
In addition to “touching up” the original mural, Moran found a way to add the image of Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, along with the concluding lines from her evocative inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb”: “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
And so, they came–youngsters as young as toddlers, as old as teens, with every age in between, accompanied by parents, cousins, and pals. Adult representation spanned the generations from Millennial to Zoomer and even Baby Boomer (one proudly sporting a Woodstock T-shirt).
Rhodana Fields, accompanied by adult daughter Kyla and niece Audrey, sang the praises of Holmes, with whom she’s worked on other projects through Habitat for Humanity. “She has such incredible vision with art, I’d support whatever she does,” Fields added.
Local entrepreneur Amanda Kidd, who has grown the Beat The Rush Delivery service since 2014 and is planning to open an interactive learning enterprise, 411 Kitchen, in the new Packing House complex, enjoyed surveying the progress of each painter, including her daughter budding artist 9 year old Sandy Hill Elementary student Faith (who will be 10 next week!).
Mom Marian San Juan, painting near her son, proudly shared how he and his two friends, all 7th grade Maces Lane Middle School students, had helped write and illustration the book “Discovering Harriet,” under the direction of History teacher John Kahl, with proceeds from sales going to the “Harriet’s Journey Home” fund to commission and install a bronze statue of Harriet Tubman on the Dorchester County Courthouse lawn.
Release of the book was set to take place during the day’s events, which also featured food, music, a variety of vendors and activities along Cannery Way and in front of the famed “Take My Hand” Tubman mural, which drew a steady throng of visitors.
Legally blind 76- year- old author Sandra Snowden signed copies of her book “Freedom, The Next Plantation???”, parts of which are written in authentic dialect used by slave ancestors, complete with a dictionary she created for readers. Children’s book author Omeaka Jackson credited 7-year-old granddaughter Kennedy Schoolfield with helping to edit her latest timely work, “Mommy, What’s a Protest?”
One young woman, unaware of the day’s scheduled events, who’d traveled from the Western Shore to view the Tubman mural on Juneteenth, was curious to learn about what was going on and excited for her daughter to see girls her own age helping to paint the Black Lives Matter mural.
2nd Ward Commissioner and Cambridge City Council President Lajan Cephas admiring the artwork of Jermaine Anderson and others, admitted to being “in awe” of the Juneteenth commemoration that was underway, and also to being another proud mom, pointing out the thriving “Sons of the Earth” T-shirt business booth manned by her 11- and 17-year- old sons and their 18- year- old friend. The young men mentioned that she’d encouraged them to learn how business works, explaining that its helpful to keep local money circulating within the community.
3rd Ward Commissioner Jameson Harrington began by photographically documenting the BLM mural artists at work, but soon picked up a brush and joined in the effort.
Health Department representative Charlene Jones, a supervisor of Prevention Services offered an array of free goodies from the department along with a table containing the Ethnic Vibrations products such as sage and Palo sticks she began selling last year, a challenging period when she learned to focus more on manifestation, meditation, and centering.
Throughout the day, strains of inspirational tunes, including Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “Wake Up Everybody,” and Andra Day’s “Rise Up” cascaded over the crowd courtesy of local father and son music and sound men DJ Mike B (Michael O. Bryan) and DJ Joseph (Joe) Manokey. Bryan, referred to as the “OG” for bringing the beginnings of rap and hip hop fusion from New York back to his hometown of Cambridge in the mid-1970s, has taught broadcasting to several generations in his National Youth Corps Service Pine Street educational studio facility.
The eventful day ended with the broadcast premiere of “When the Paint Dries” by Shelton Hawkins, who was instrumental in helping create the BLM mural in 2020. On Hawkins’ Facebook page he recalled the moment:
“One year ago, we stood together as a community and had real conversations and wanted to express ourselves through art. It wasn’t easy working on the mural and documentary during a pandemic, but we did it and I’m super proud how it turned out. S/o to everybody apart of the project and I wanted to make sure our stories would be remembered even after the paint is dried and gone. Special thank you to the Maryland State Art Council for allowing me to be a storyteller and show the process of the BLM mural.”
Moran and husband Emmanuel Batson, who had worked side by side throughout the long day of painting, headed arm in arm across Race Street to the Tubman Museum to view Hawkins’ film. They quietly beamed at the sight of their handiwork, at the newly painted message “Together We Rise” accented with a dove, and at the memory of all the people who had helped. Moran was especially moved by the children, many of whom wanted to have their pictures taken with her. “I was the one in awe of all of THEM!” she said softly.
Debra Messick is a retired Dorchester County Public Library associate and lifelong freelance writer. A transplanted native Philadelphian, she has enjoyed residing in Cambridge MD since 1995.
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