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. 

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Originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on April 18, 1993.