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In Memory Of ... 1993
Murals in North Philadelphia and Camden in the 90's became popular as ways to memorialize mostly young Black and Puerto Rican men. Often victims of drug and gang-related violence – or involved in drugs and gangs themselves – they were left to the margins of society. The murals were highly stylized with distinctive iconography and reflected a community effort to honor the lives of these young men. This practice was often at odds with the anti-graffiti movement at the time, revealing the ways in which public art was highly racialized.
Originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on April 18, 1993.
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