This mural was painted in 2019 and is the work of Yehimi Cambrón. It was commissioned as part of Off the Wall: Atlanta's Civil Rights & Social Justice Journey and is the artist's second work under that program.
This is an abstract mural and depicts protestors from the 1960s Civil Rights Movement opposite contemporary immigrant rights protestors. The most powerful part of the mural is the MLK quote taken from the a speech that he delivered at Spelman College in 1960. "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." The quote is in cursive and also in bold font letters. The murals aqua blue background is very nice. It provides great contrast for the mural and draws you in. The lower part of the background is orange, which fades into the blue as it rises.
The figures on the mural have blank or abstract facial feature because Cambrón wanted them to be universal figures and have a wide applicabilty. The figures on the viewers left are figures inspired by photographs from the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins. The other figures on the viewer's right are based on modern-day photographs of undocumented young people participating in civil disobedience.
As with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop at all. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area such as Coca Cola World, the Georgia Aquarium, and/or Centennial Olympic Park, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. read more