Black Lives Matter Mural
Flint’s Black Lives Matter Mural was painted on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue starting at University Avenue and ending at 4th Avenue, on June 14th, 2020. The project was led by Flint Public Art Project’s Vice President, Sandra Branch, along with Little Miss Flint (Mari Copeny), who worked together on creating the design for the piece. The mural was done in black and white to symbolize unity, and each of the letters which stretch 250 feet in total, are outlined in yellow, the color of Black Lives Matter-Flint. The design incorporates protesters marching on the bottom of each letter. The location was chosen by Sandra Branch because of Flint’s strong ties with Martin Luther King Jr. and his efforts in leading the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s.
Throughout the day over 60 community members came out to paint alongside 10 local artist which helped bring the project to life. After the artists established the outline of the lettering, the community completed the letters with the white paint. Later that evening, the artists completed the details to create a truly community lead project. Flint Public Art Project, Black Lives Matter-Flint, The What’s Up Downtown Project, and the City of Flint coordinated the efforts to help realize the project, with funding provided by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.