SOWONDE ‘DIDN’T EXPECT’ CITY TO APPROVE BLM MURAL
When Askari Sowonde met with Mayor Bob Sampayan, giving an impassioned request for a Black Lives Matter mural on the street in front of City Hall, she figured it would end there.
When the City Council approved of the sign 5-2 at its Sept. 22 meeting, Sowonde avoided Channel 28.
“I didn’t see it. I didn’t want to watch,” she said by phone Wednesday. “There’s always a little bit of hope, but I figured it isn’t going to happen. When I got a text that it passed, I was like, ‘ What passed?’”
Happy much?
“I jumped up and I felt blessed,” Sowonde said, adding that the same day was the 12th anniversary of her mother’s death, so she was already emotional.
“When it passed, I dropped to my knees and felt the ancestors are overjoyed,” Sowonde said.
Two days before the vote, So
wonde sent the mayor, the council and the city manager a threepage letter explaining why the three-word phrase was important to her, emphasizing that she wasn’t a member of the Black Lives Matter organization.
Some city officials “made assertions and assumptions,” Sowonde said, explaining how she was inspired by the Black Lives Matter mural in Washington, D.C., in front of the White House.
“That was amazing to visually see,” she said. “Coming from Baltimore, living its racism, being called (the N-word), not being allowed to cross a certain street until after certain times, I know what Black Lives Matter means to many of us and to those afraid to say anything because of retribution.”
Black Lives Matter “is a constant reminder many refuse to see, of the murders and disrespect of Black people in the Vallejo community and around the world,” Sowonde wrote. “It also resounds the onward fight we have been forging ahead for so many years. It is giving voice to a people that have none here.”
S owonde a ck nowle d ge d someone’s suggestion that Black Lives Matter be a mural on Amador Street in front of police headquarters.
“If I had my way, it would be in both places,” she said. “I want our city to understand that every time they see those words, that they must realize a change must happen. From the homeless, the hungry, our youth, our families and our elders. It’s about education. Stop passing laws that do
not benefit our community, stop the rhetoric and do what you are entrusted to do for your constituents, in all aspects of our city issues.”
Sowonde emphasized that “well-meaning” people “cannot speak for me.”
“Be clear, those that are fighting the good fight know I speak not of them,” she said. “I’m grateful to you for your fight. However, please don’t speak for me. I’m quite capable. ‘ Black Lives Matter’ for many is about our ancestral past, present and future. Black Lives Matter, for me, is centuries of bloodshed on a group of people that were not asked to come here … and whose voices were silenced.”
While BLM “is a gesture to others, it’s a way of life to me,” she continued. “It’s not a gesture. It’s a constant reminder that Black lives matter. It’s plain and simple.”
Despite the controversy of having “Black Lives Matter” painted by the city in front of
Sowonde acknowledged someone’s suggestion that Black Lives Matter be a mural on Amador Street in front of police headquarters.
City Hall, Sowonde doesn’t regret her part in the project.
“I stand by my suggestion, the intent and it’s purpose. It’s unfortunate that some may not like it,” she said. “I am blessed that it was placed on my heart. I was always taught that if you have a dream and it is for the good of humanity, go for it. And when you believe in something and make a stand, you must might be the lone ranger. This stand was worth it.”
A mural is a first step, Sowonde said, describing her age as “lightly seasoned.”
“We understand that this can’t be it, but at some point, when do we start moving forward? It’s not over. You keep the pressure on,” she said, adding that it “takes a little bit of Martin (Luther King Jr.) and Malcolm ( X). You only move forward as long as its for humanity and righteousness. It takes all of us to fight.”
T hough the council hasn’t indicated when the Black Lives Matter sign will be painted, Sowonde said she will feel “absolute joy” when it happens.
“I know some will be pissed off and march … there’s so much hate in this world,” Sowonde said. “The fact that we an come and do something like this as a community, hopef ully puts hatred away and that we’re not putting away what needs to be done.”