I painted this mural on a section of windows for the Chicago Hostel's 2008 Martin Luther King mural competition. The theme was to honor the life and work of Dr. King, bringing his message into the current day. I won second place.
The center panel of the mural depicts a portrait of Dr. King as a prisoner in Birmingham jail. Next to him are Hamedah Hasan, Stanley Howard, and a nameless Guantanamo detainee.
Hamedah Hasan is currently serving 27 years (reduced from a life sentence) for her minor role in a cousin’s drug ring. At the time, she had moved in with her cousin to flee an abusive relationship. In return for staying with him, she was expected to help with small drug errands. She was given more time than the leaders of the group because she had little information to trade with prosecuters, even though she had no prior criminal record.
Stanley Howard, a current anti-death penalty advocate, is a former death row inmate. He was pardoned by Illinois Govenor Ryan after the notorious Burge police torture case, where evidence showed that Chicago Police officers used torture to gain false confessions from twelve black men- who were given the death penalty as a result.
The hooded prisoner represents the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, and at other US military prisons like Abu Ghraib. These detainees are held uncharged and subjected to torture and harsh interrogation tactics without hope of a fair trial or access to basic civil and human rights.
The top pane of the mural depicts the hand of Dr. King scattering seeds which fall into the soil on the bottom portion of the mural. The seeds represent the words and actions of Dr. King that have since gone on to inspire and call to action the generation after him. These seeds planted in the fertile hearts and minds of millions of people will sprout new life and growth that will challenge injustice from the bottom up. These seeds manifest “grassroots” consciousness and action that is happening now to overgrow unjust systems still in place.
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