Syracuse Woman Honors George Floyd with Colorful Chalk Mural
George Floyd's death at the hands of Minnesota police officers has stirred up conversation and protests across the United States. One Central New York woman honored Floyd's life by creating a mural in front of her home.
Davana Robedee grabbed her chalk and got to creating a tribute to Floyd on the sidewalk corner of Wadsworth Street and Ardmore Place. She told CNYCentral that while she didn't know Floyd personally, she feels the community's grief in light of his death.
"We have some neighborhood kids that come down the street - they're just kids," Robedee told CNYCentral. "I see them that way and I know most of our neighborhood sees them that way, but should someone see them differently, that breaks my heart. So I wanted to do something for the community just to say, like, we see you."
On the sidewalk outside her home, Robedee drew a portrait of George Floyd, a bright yellow sun peeking out from behind his head. She told CNYCentral she admires the African-American community's strength, a strength she said "only comes through unimaginable adversity." Robedee's chalk portrait is accompanied by a fitting quote from Maya Angelou's famous poem, "Still I Rise."
"I'm exhausted with hope, with trying to hope, but we can't give up. Change is painfully slow and I think it was Martin Luther King who said the moral arc of history is slow, but it bends toward justice," Robedee told CNYCentral. "And when things like this happen, I sort of take hope in that we have changed, but it's not enough, and to insist that it happen more quickly is not unreasonable."
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