Watch Bed-Stuy’s BLM mural come to life in a new short film
Bed-Stuy artists and activists describe taking back a block for community celebration, activism and expression
“When I first saw the mural from my rooftop it was astonishing how truly you cannot miss this.”
Those words, spoken by Bed-Stuy-based designer Ty Lance West, feature in a new short documentary “The Black Lives Matter Mural in Bedford-Stuyvesant.”
The significance, meaning and impact of Fulton Street’s black and yellow Black Lives Matter mural unfolds in four tight minutes. The film, produced by Brooklyn-based content agency Mustache, chronicles the painting of the mural and its role in the neighborhood this summer during the racial justice movement. The block itself has been a gathering place where Bed-Stuy lacks them, a parade ground, a wedding spot.
Street + art
A literal piece of street art, the mural is painted physically onto the asphalt of Fulton Street between Marcy and Brooklyn Avenues.
“Sometimes we get a little glimpse of sunlight and that is snatched away by turning on the TV and seeing things that are unexplainable that continuously happen to us as a people,” says Monique Antoine of the Bed-Stuy collective in the film. “We can’t just live in fear we are always resilient and we are always trying to find a way to look at the brighter side of day.”
The mural was painted in June by artist Dawud West with support from Bed-Stuy’s Councilman Robert Cornegy and The Billie Holiday Theatre. It drew inspiration from a similarly-styled piece of street art in Washington, D.C. After the completion of the mural, the street served as a lively place for public gatherings and community events. The film features interviews with mural artists, Bed-Stuy residents, and local activists like Antoine and West.
Of the 18 community districts in Brooklyn, Bed Stuy ranks 17th in open space, according to the the film.
“You hear these chants, like ‘Who’s streets? Our streets!’” says film interviewee Brittany Micek, founder of Meditating for Black Lives. “Well, then really make them our streets. This is how we take back our spaces.”
Watch the film here:
