Bham Strong mural

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The "Bham Strong mural" in June 2020

The Bham Strong mural is a monochrome (grisaille) mural created by artist Shane B to express solidarity with the idea that "Black Lives Matter", specifically in the wake of the murder by Minneapolis, Minnesota police of George Floyd on May 25. It features a portrait of Floyd based on a widely-circulated photograph, with the tag "Bham' Strong" in graffiti-style letters.

The mural was spray-painted onto plywood barriers in front of the Wheelhouse Salon at 1820 3rd Avenue North on June 2. The plywood had been put up after the salon's windows were broken during an evening of unrest in the downtown area on May 31. That night, groups of vandals branched away from a gathering at Linn Park targeting the city's Confederate Soldiers & Sailors Monument, which had been suggested by a speaker during an earlier George Floyd rally at Kelly Ingram Park.

Although many businesses remained closed due to curfews and the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, groups of people converged on downtown to help with clean-up. As numerous murals appeared on boarded-up businesses, more people came downtown to view the artwork and take photographs. The Bham Strong mural and a nearby interactive installation that invited visitors to add their own handprints, were among the most popular.

Early in the morning on Thursday June 4, an unnamed person vandalized the mural by spray-painting a large "X" over the portrait of Floyd. Shane B. returned to restore the artwork that same day. Birmingham Police identified and apprehended a suspect, but salon owner Johnny Grimes declined to press charges, hoping to set an example of forgiveness.

The mural was removed along with other barriers after the salon's windows were repaired. Shane B. donated it to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the portrait section was installed in the Odessa Woolfolk Gallery, where it complements the Institute's programming on the national reaction to Floyd's murder.

References

  • Robinson, Carol (June 4, 2020) "George Floyd mural in downtown Birmingham defaced; repairs underway." The Birmingham News
  • Robinson, Carol (June 9, 2020) "Owner of Birmingham salon won’t press charges in George Floyd mural vandalism." The Birmingham News
  • Garrison, Greg (May 28, 2021) "George Floyd mural at Birmingham Civil Rights Institute stirs emotion, conversation." The Birmingham News