More murals pop up in Santa Barbara
More artists in Santa Barbara are starting to use their talents as a voice of the movement to honor the memory of George Floyd, the man who was murdered by Minneapolis police.
The works of art protest police brutality against black people.
A new mural now resides on the northern wall of Brownie’s Market on Haley and De la Vina streets. Two hands, one black and one white, are holding each other.
Next to the hands is the famous Nelson Mandela quote: “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Danny Meza painted a mural with a quote from Nelson Mandela on the north wall of Brownie’s Market on Haley and De la Vina streets.
Brownie’s Market is owned by Viran Singh and his family. His son, Vir Singh, hatched the idea for the mural on one of the three businesses owned by the Singhs: Brownie’s, Mesa Pizza Co. and La Bamba Market. It was approved for both Brownie’s and La Bamba, and Mr. Singh said that with how positive and successful this one has been, he and his family are considering another for La Bamba.
“I really like the message of just loving one another in order to overcome obstacles,” Mr. Singh said. “I hope people look at it and feel good about it.”
He said this quote was the first one that came to mind for him and his brother, Vishay, and although it’s a longer quote, they didn’t want to alter or shorten it because of the power in the message.
“It’s such a universal message that people can get behind,” Mr. Singh said.
The protests hit close to home for the Singhs. They’re originally from South Africa and experienced apartheid firsthand.
The artist, Danny Meza, worked for free, saying he wanted to donate his time to a good message.
“With everything that’s going on in the world, unity and positivity is what we need more than ever right now,” Mr. Meza said. “To me, this mural means love, unity and standing as one. I grew up in this town, and that’s pretty much how it’s always been. Everyone hangs out with each other, no matter what color or race they are.”
He added that on Tuesday while he was painting, the positive reaction he witnessed from passersby from all different walks of life was “beautiful.”
“It was pure love and positivity that day,” Meza said. “Let’s strive to keep it that way!”
Email: gmccormick@newspress.com
