Mural for Connie Mitchell & Min. Franklin Florence
Donation protected
Please help us raise money for a mural commemorating Connie Mitchell, the first Black woman ever elected to office in Monroe County, and local civil rights icon Minister Franklin Florence. The mural will be painted by the great artist and Rochester-native Ephraim Gebre, who painted the magnificent mural of John Lewis on State Street "I am Speaking."
Ephraim paints murals all around the country as an artist for Colossal Media, a Brooklyn based company specializing in hand-painted outdoor advertising. The John Lewis "I am Speaking" mural he painted last summer gave Rochester such hope during a time of great suffering, reminding us to lean the strength of those who came before us. Ephraim is motivated to continue to paint Civil Rights heroes as well as other powerful figures on the walls of Rochester , as well as walls around the globe.
This mural would be inspired by a photograph of Connie Mitchell taken with Minister. Franklin Florence and Malcolm X, during Malcolm X's 1965 visit to Rochester. It would honor Mitchell as the first African American and woman elected to the Monroe County legislature. It would honor Rev. Franklin Florence as the founder and first president of the important civil rights group F.I.G.H.T. The two were inspirational trailblazers who fought for educational opportunities, improved living and working conditions and higher pay for people of color. A monument in their honor, at Rochester's largest high school, could inspire young Rochesterians to break down their own barriers in pursuit of social justice. Malcolm X visited East High School in 1965.
The mural is expected to cost between $20,000 - $63,000 depending on our ability to get inkind donations for lifts, etc. Funds will pay for paint, labor, and scaffold rental, as well as any prep/wall treatments. Excess funding would go to an arts scholarship for an artist in the Rochester City School District. Please donate what you can to this inspirational project! Thank you for your consideration!
Ephraim paints murals all around the country as an artist for Colossal Media, a Brooklyn based company specializing in hand-painted outdoor advertising. The John Lewis "I am Speaking" mural he painted last summer gave Rochester such hope during a time of great suffering, reminding us to lean the strength of those who came before us. Ephraim is motivated to continue to paint Civil Rights heroes as well as other powerful figures on the walls of Rochester , as well as walls around the globe.
This mural would be inspired by a photograph of Connie Mitchell taken with Minister. Franklin Florence and Malcolm X, during Malcolm X's 1965 visit to Rochester. It would honor Mitchell as the first African American and woman elected to the Monroe County legislature. It would honor Rev. Franklin Florence as the founder and first president of the important civil rights group F.I.G.H.T. The two were inspirational trailblazers who fought for educational opportunities, improved living and working conditions and higher pay for people of color. A monument in their honor, at Rochester's largest high school, could inspire young Rochesterians to break down their own barriers in pursuit of social justice. Malcolm X visited East High School in 1965.
The mural is expected to cost between $20,000 - $63,000 depending on our ability to get inkind donations for lifts, etc. Funds will pay for paint, labor, and scaffold rental, as well as any prep/wall treatments. Excess funding would go to an arts scholarship for an artist in the Rochester City School District. Please donate what you can to this inspirational project! Thank you for your consideration!
Organizer
Erica Bryant
Organizer
Rochester, NY