Historically Black neighborhood paints a huge mural of Breonna Taylor (but killers still free)

The historically Black suburb of Annapolis, Maryland, plans to paint a large mural in honor of Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman who was murdered by police officers in her Kentucky home. The mural will also feature the phrase "Black Lives Matter." The Banneker-Douglass Museum of Annapolis (formerly known as the Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church) is partnering with the non-profit organization Future History Now in order to complete the project. The museum will also collaborate with young residents of the neighborhood as well as the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, The Hill reports. Despite all the advocacy for Taylor, she is yet to receive justice; the White police officers who killed her are still to be charged.

Future History Now announced the monumental project via their Facebook page and provided details about the mural on their website. The large-scale ground mural is intended to be visible even from space through the use of satellite imagery. It is "a form of using peaceful and artistic means to express distress, giving a voice to those who need to be heard and to have their humanity recognized." The organization did note, nonetheless, that the initiative is not supposed to be a distraction for systemic change. "This effort is not intended to be a performative distraction from real policy changes, " they affirmed. "We want our future leaders to experience this pivotal moment in history in an active and positive way."

Slated to be 7,000-square-feet, the project is being championed by muralist Jeff Huntington, who has previously worked on similar images of Black empowerment. His murals have in the past featured Nelson Mandela, Sarah Vaughan, and Maya Angelou, among others. The mural will be located at a basketball court in Chambers Park, Parole, and will take about two days to complete. According to Huntington, he expects between 30 and 40 people to contribute. 10 Future History Now artists will be joined by 20 to 30 volunteers from area communities, Washington DC, and the Naval Academy. The muralist stated in an interview with The Capital Gazette, "We want our youth in our community programs to experience this pivotal moment in a very active way."

At present, the organization, along with all the partners involved, is trying to raise funds to make the project a reality. Future History Now has a financial goal of $8,000, of which they have already raised almost 90 percent of their goal. If you would like to make a donation to sustain this wonderful art piece, you can visit their official website. In the meantime, though Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced that Officer Brett Hankison, Taylor's killer, is expected to get fired, no charges have been brought against him or the other officers involved in her death. If you would like to demand justice, you can sign a petition, donate to her family, or contact Mayor Fischer's office at (502) 574-2003.