"I walk the streets of East Los Angeles (ELA) and I stare blankly at the white walls that once spoke freely of pride, love and joy. Murals of great leaders such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta inspire faith in our dreams. Bright colors such as green, blue and red bring out the positive aspects of our community and culture. Brown, the color of hard work, the color of the sweat and long hours represents the stability a family needs. These colors symbolize the power of unity, the importance of family and the value of respect. Murals provide inspiration and give hope to people in ELA. Murals provide the color to our lives and the belief for “a better tomorrow.” Now our walls are empty, painted over white because of the metro rail construction. East Los Angeles has lost the “spark” that once shined with pride.Painting murals is a community service project that will change this. Teachers, parents, youth and local organizations would be able to participate in a project of unity. I want to see murals in liquor stores, school buildings and alleys. I want to see murals that express love, anger, struggle, grief, pride and honesty. Murals can shine brightly in the ELA streets again, reminding us about our culture and reflecting the importance of where we came from. I believe in the phrase “we are what we do,” and the ELA community is a hard working community that deserves to see hope and faith in their city. Where a father of four drives home and sees images of children running free in the park, or an image of a mother kissing her son goodbye, reminding him of his family and the beauty of unity.
Murals will encourage more participation from our community by allowing the people of ELA to participate in a project where their life experiences and emotions can be expressed through art. The murals do not have to be created by professional artists. Instead, youth, parents and local organizations can bring new ideas artists can help develop. I want to see children mixing paint and parents sharing laughter. Our culture is the most beautiful thing we have in our community because it addresses the history of our people and the challenges they have encountered. Murals will remind the ELA people of the importance of love, pride and believing in yourself.
In 2005, Gloria Molina sponsored a mural by Garfield’s Leadership class. The mural depicted Los Angeles youth appreciating the heritage and the pride of being a Latino. Until this day that mural has not been vandalized. Every time I walk by the mural, I smile because it reminds me of hardworking teens who desire a higher education. Murals represent the culture of ELA and the soul and love Latinos bring to a community where money is not the biggest priority, instead unity is more important. Murals will enhance the quality of life in my community because they will awaken the spirit of East Los Angeles. My murals project will be successful because everybody will be able to participate. I want to see murals that speak to the people and give them hope. The 5,000 dollars will help buy paint, equipment and materials to paint these murals. And maybe one day a teenage girl like myself, who has had a bad day at school will walk home one day and suddenly look up. She will see the bright colors of the smiling Cesar Chavez and then that day will not seem so bad anymore."