Reflections on the Champaign mural entitled “The History of African Americans in Champaign County”
Art can be an expression of many things, including: injustice, anger, hope, forgiveness, understanding, and empowerment. There has been a dialogue for decades among scholars, academics, and artists about the purpose of art, whether art is supposed to be just art, or is art supposed to be political.
When one says, that a particular piece of art is “political” one automatically assumes that it has a negative connotation: that it is against the status quo, it stands for resistance, and it calls for anarchy. However, I take the term as a positive, one should not be afraid of things that are political as it encourages others to take action, and to think about society and their role in it.
At first glance, the mural created by Angela Rivers, community youth, who were working with CETA (a summer training program), and others in 1978, does not seem to be “political.” Since there are no Black power signs, no Black Nationalist flag of black, red, green, no Malcolm X, no Harriet Tubman, etc, the iconic figures and symbols that one associates with political expression in the Black community. What was surprising to me as I heard her talk was how people resisted having the mural pictured as “too radical” or “too political,” as if that would be wrong. Rather the mural pictures a Black family, images from the Middle Passage, a railroad, scenes from Africa, scenes from slavery, a sun, migration denotations etc. These images do not scream “Black power,” but in actuality, they do because they signify the strength and resilience of the Black community in Champaign-Urbana and on a global level. These are images of strength that people can hold on to on the days when they are feeling down. One can look at the mural and say “My ancestors came from Africa, they survived slavery, they kept the family together, so I can do better, I can be better.” Ms. Rivers remarked on the sense of pride and ownership the majority of those in the community had toward the mural. Furthermore, the community wanted the artists of the mural to be community based, not from outside because they felt that only someone from within would have an understanding of who the community is. The mural could not have been created without the support of the community by donating their materials, time, food, and suggestions.
However, it seems from Rivers’ discussions that this sense of empowerment within the community has eroded since the 60s and 70s, due to the deepening institutional racism within society, the economic downturn, the educational system not meeting their needs, drugs, etc. Despite this, the community has continued to respect the mural by not writing graffiti on it (until recently, but it is still little). During Ms. Rivers’ presentations, she was asked repeatedly about restoring the mural, but she has been hesitant about it because of the cost (approximately $50,000) and because the community is different, (the lack of unity along with the change in values). Therefore, she believes that the mural has served its purpose. I agree with her, but I would like to see another mural created, if money were not an option, that would serve as a continuation of the history of Blacks in Champaign-Urbana community and a look toward the future. I believe that looking toward the future would help those in the community who feel that they have no future–to imagine one for themselves. In addition, it could include the role technology (or rather the lack of it) has played in the community.
The overall sentiment/idea that I gathered from listening to her lecture was that empowerment can come in many forms and art is just one. In addition, community unity is imperative to getting something done, which demonstrates that if enough voices and hands are involved, things can be completed. Furthermore, for something to occur it needs to be important to the community otherwise people do not care and will not see it through, thus when community informatics researchers work with the community they need to make clear what this means for them and those they care about. Therefore, the initiatives and actions taken have to be political, personal, and require community unity.
-Aaisha Haykal