Photographs by Dick Evans
*This is a mural detail, and part of a much bigger story.
Section 5: Coatlique and the Virgen de Guadelupe:
Spanish colonizers would not allow indigenous people to practice their own religion. Therefore, indigenous peoples had to use Catholic saints and rituals to maintain their religious connections. The center of this wall has featured an image of the Virgen De Guadalupe for over 30 years. As this version was painted in 2008, a resurgence of Indigenous Spirituality was happening and many began regaining their cultural and historical consciousness. We are no longer forced to hide our idols behind altars. The mother Earth Goddess, Coatlique, is portrayed as the centerpiece of the mural with corn growing on either side of her to represent our connection to the earth. In front of her, a woman holds a portrait of La Virgen De Guadalupe.
Section 7: Black and Brown Unity:
This image connects different neighborhoods, folks and communities that have been victimized by the Eurocentric system. Connecting low riders and scrappers connects African American culture and Latino culture. The Black Panther party members above them are the hero’s of the past. A group of Black and Brown youth of today continues the work that is inspired by the Black Panthers and Brown Berets. This is seen by the Black Panther logo that is on the t-shirt of one of the youth in the scene and the African American brother wearing an Africa Continent piece instead of a blingy dollar symbol. A woman community organizer holds a newspaper which documents the unity between Hunter’s Point, the Fillmore, and the Mission, as they fight the SF Gang Injunctions and Gentrification.
Source: Eric Norberg