In this mural is a very important person from the past, Malcolm X. This murals home is between a nail salon and a residential building, in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn on Malcolm X Blvd. Every time I go to work I pass this mural on the Bus. Within the neighborhood there are schools, deli’s, tattoo parlors, and a residential community. I can tell that this is a really old mura, because of the paint on it is chipping away. The words “By any means necessary” are a part of the mural as well. These words come from this quote from Malcolm, "We declare our right on this earth...to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary." -Malcolm X. This quote is basically saying that as black people we have the right to be treated like every other human being, and with that comes respect and by any means necessary we should attain this, whether it’s through violence or not.
When I look at the mural it seems like he is talking to anyone that is looking him because of the direct eye contact. It’s seems like he is staring into your soul. This mural isn’t on any shutter of a store or anything like that so it’s visibly all the time, no matter what time of day it is. I feel its better this way because of the fact that it’s always visibly for people to see. Whenever I pass it, it keeps me focus on my goals because “by any means necessary” I will attain my goals, and I believe if I feel this way I know there is other people out there that is probably thinking the same way. When I look at this mural it also makes me look back at how far black people have come from the civil right movement, and it opens my mind and my heart even more to appreciate the life that I have now, because I don’t know what I would do if I grew up in that era.
I would include this mural in an exhibit because everyone could look at this mural a probably get their own mean from it. Any painting, portrait, etc.. of Malcolm X I would say it reminds people that this is a person that fought for what we have today “by any means necessary” and I adore him because of that. In my opinion Malcolm X was one of the greatest leaders of the civil rights movement and for this any portrait or mural of him should be in any exhibit.
