In Support of Philly Artists
Hope Over Hate:
The Colors of Redemption
by Eddie Ramirez, Artist & Activist
I watch them because I want to stay informed, even if watching means wading and sitting through half-truths and whole lies. I am definitely not a fan of how the news is produced and packaged for public consumption, particularly in its aim to feed a growing sense of fear and paranoia. It is an ugly distortion that dims the bright light of hope. And while there are agencies that insist on leading with what’s bleeding, thankfully, there are still some that choose to create and inspire with hope and determination.
Mural Arts Philadelphia—the staff and dedicated partners—presents an oasis filled with hope in the otherwise arid atmosphere of partisan politics and biased agendas. In a time when there’s so much noise polluting the airwaves with sound bites of distrust and divisiveness, when images of wars and riots, handcuffs and leg irons dominate the visual media landscape, artists are working harder than ever to heal communities that have been torn apart. Mural Arts has been a constant conservatory for artists and a refuge for communities. Working together has proven to be a worthwhile exercise in community building and future-making.
I have my own very personal connection to Mural Arts Philadelphia and the city we all love so much.
Nearly three decades ago, the city swallowed me up and cast me down to the bowels of a criminal justice system that we now know routinely violated citizens to get a conviction at all costs. It didn’t matter that I was innocent. It didn’t matter that my father was a proud member of the Fraternal Order of Police. It didn’t even matter that I hired a prominent attorney (who also won’t get any free publicity out of me). Corrupt agents set out on their mission, and they didn’t stop until that mission was accomplished. Thankfully, Mural Arts also had a mission. It started with a small mural in a prison auditorium that has since given birth to more than fifty murals around the city. At the center of all those murals was a simple but powerful sense of hope: if we paint it, the public will recognize that men and women in prison are more than prisoners. They are more than the worst thing they ever did, some never having done anything at all. I could have chosen bitterness. I do have resentment. But I choose hope over hate.
Rudyard Kipling urged the body to force the heart and nerve and sinew to serve its turn long after they are gone, and so hold on when there’s nothing in you, except the will which says to them, “Hold on!”
Through art making, the makers ask the audience to hold on; something beautiful is coming. Mural Arts stood by me for decades, urging me to hold on giving me hope that something beautiful was coming. And it was.
Over so many years, Mural Arts Philadelphia has come through on the promise to remember our brothers and sisters who are away while honoring those deeply affected by crime and being a part of the education for the next generation. From the dedication of the Healing Walls—created by Ceasar Viveros and painted by the men at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford, along with victims of crime; to the Brotherly Love mural—designed by King Saladeen and painted by the men at the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix, along with assistance from the Guild Project and the Rec Crew at Mural Arts’ Restorative Justice Department.
I take great pride in being a part of a program that gives hope to so many men and women within prisons and within the Philadelphia community as well. Artists are ready to create. And there are teams ready to add to this city’s beauty.
As we move into 2025, coming out of a cold winter, I urge us to remember and have hope that together, we can paint a picture in colors that confront the bleak image talking heads would offer. We can speak poetry using all of our voices: the smart ones, the lyrical ones; with sass and style. We can be bold because we know there are partners who share in the hope of a brighter community. Those same partners are committed to making all things beautiful manifest.
Beginning with us…