A Black Lives Matter street mural planned near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Major Taylor Boulevard in downtown Worcester was completed on Wednesday.
The art project, which used no tax dollars, ultimately raised $20,000, said Che Anderson, deputy cultural development officer for the City of Worcester, who helped coordinate the event. That figure marks a significant jump from the $3,500 in donations originally reported on Monday morning.
Em Quiles, president of Pa’Lante Latinx Moving Forward, which co-organized the mural, said on Thursday the mural painting was a unifying experience.
“Yesterday was an incredible act of solidarity, not only for the Black Lives Matter movement, but for our local artists and the Worcester community,” Quiles said. “Almost everyone that was present yesterday has expressed to me the profound love they felt and how grateful they were to be a part of this historic moment. It is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been a part of.”
The letters and images inside the letters were designed by 16 lead artists, who largely were people of color, and more than 100 people volunteered to help paint, according to the Facebook group messages for the project.
