Murals highlight Atlanta’s civil rights legacy
ATLANTA — As Atlanta prepares to host the Super Bowl next month, artists are painting murals that highlight the city’s civil rights and social justice legacy.
The artwork adorning neighborhoods near the downtown stadium where the game will be played is part of an initiative called “Off The Wall: Atlanta’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Journey.” The project is a collaboration between arts advocacy group WonderRoot and the Super Bowl host committee. While the murals’ installation was timed to coincide with the Feb. 3 sports extravaganza, they are meant to be lasting works of art for Atlantans to enjoy after the football fans leave.
The idea was to celebrate Atlanta’s role in the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and ’60s and connect that rich legacy with more contemporary struggles for justice and equality, WonderRoot Executive Director Chris Appleton said.
“We definitely have works that, for good reason, make Atlanta proud of its role in the civil rights movement and the human rights movement, and we have murals that invite and challenge us in Atlanta to continue striving for that beloved community,” Appleton said.
The term “beloved community” was made popular by the Rev. Martin Luther King, an Atlanta native, to describe a society centered on equal opportunity and justice and rooted in the idea of nonviolence.
Several dozen “community conversations” brought out unheard and untold stories about the struggle for justice that needed to be elevated, Appleton said. The artists sat in on those conversations and used them to inform their murals.
Shanequa Gay, 40, was inspired by a conversation at Covenant House, which provides housing and support for homeless young people.