Texas Covers Up Beloved "Black Artists Matter" Mural in Austin
Local advocates warn that Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s order is part of a broader attempt to erase Black and LGBTQ+ history.
Officials in Austin destroyed a prominent street artwork displaying the message "Black Artists Matter" last week following an order from Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
The mural, which spanned East Austin's 11th Street, was painted by dozens of community members in June 2020 amid a wave of historic racial justice protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. The Austin Justice Coalition, a local organization, led the project alongside the art center Capitol View Arts.
Last fall, Governor Abbott directed Texas cities to “remove any and all political ideologies” from streets and threatened to withhold roadway funding from municipalities that did not comply. Abbott's government billed the move as a way to reduce distraction on roadways by creating "uniformity and predictability," but critics have denounced the measure as a broader attempt to erase Black and LGBTQ+ history from public visibility.
In an email to Hyperallergic, Ishia Adams, executive director of the Austin Justice Coalition, recalled watching the artwork's completion in 2020.
"I still remember those couple of days," Adams said, "and how much joy it brought to the artists who participated, as well as how seen the Black Austin community felt."
Adams said the removal of the community artwork signaled that "erasure of Black folks in Austin is consistent."
A spokesperson for Austin Transportation and Public Works confirmed to Hyperallergic that the "Black Artists Matter" mural was covered on Thursday, July 2.
The mural was situated in Austin's Sixth Square District, a neighborhood that was once heavily racially segregated and is now known as the city's Black Cultural District.
Adams explained that the mural sat in front of the historic Victory Grill, where Black soldiers returning from World War II had congregated. The mural also punctuated the home of the arts nonprofit Kenny Dorham's Backyard, which Adams described as "a place where all mediums of Black art are represented to this day."
The "Black Artists Matter" display is one of at least 15 street artworks, including LGBTQ+ Pride rainbow crosswalks, that Austin plans to remove through this August in compliance with the order, according to a document by Austin Transportation reviewed by Hyperallergic.
Abbott's order follows a similar mandate issued in Florida last summer by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, which led to the arrest of six people who attempted to recreate a removed Pulse Night Club shooting memorial crosswalk with chalk.
Austin officials had asked the state in November to exempt the sites from destruction, citing crash data that showed the artworks "do not pose a risk to safety." However, Abbott's government rejected that appeal in May.
“In a city that has said time and time again that it is a ‘safe haven’ for all, that has never been the truth for Black folks,” Adams told Hyperallergic.
