WTOP celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month this Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with stories spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic communities across the D.C. region.
If you walk around numerous neighborhoods in D.C., you may notice one of around three dozen murals painted by Latino artists. Now, one of the oldest in the city is at risk of being removed.
“There’s something about street art,” said Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe, assistant editor at Hola Cultura. “I think, especially with these Latino murals, it really was a form of activism. These immigrants were coming from countries that were going through civil war, and this was a way of (making) a protest or response to that war.”
Jauregui-Volpe told WTOP that these murals have also preserved Latino culture and its imagery in neighborhoods that were traditionally home to immigrants, such as Adams Morgan, which is home to several of the oldest Latino murals in D.C.
“There’s been gentrification and I think it’s crucial to have these sort of murals to remind people (of) who was here before,” said Jauregui-Volpe.
Hola Cultura, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to documenting the Latino community in D.C., has organized a detailed interactive map showing exactly where each of the current and past Latino murals are located. There’s also detailed information about the artwork and artists that painted them.
One such mural is “Un Pueblo Sin Murales es Un Pueblo Dismuralizado,” which translates to, “A people without murals is a demoralized people.” It’s located in Mount Pleasant on the side of the Kogibow Bakery on Adams Mill Road.
“That’s a really beautiful one that shows a lot of different themes,” he said. “There’s one part with men in suits playing Monopoly. It’s a little reference to gentrification.”
Jauregui-Volpe said it is important to document and record these murals because so many of them have been taken down or painted over due to modern redevelopment.
“In the map, you’ll actually see which of these murals are still here and which have been taken down, or which are at risk of being taken down,” he said.
One mural in danger of being removed is the Unity Mural, located on a Pepco substation wall on Old Morgan School Road in Adams Morgan.
It was painted in 1982 by local art teachers and Black and Latino high school students.
“At the time, there was a little bit of tension between two groups of students. And so two local muralists here — Ligia Williams and Allen Carter — worked together to guide the students on a cultural exploration for them. To explore their culture, their heritage, but then also to work together on a piece of art,” said Jauregui-Volpe, who is also the host of Hola Cultura’s podcast, “The Climate Divide.”
The mural depicts a serpent from Aztec mythology, alongside Central American flora and fauna and a woman carrying a basket on her head, an image well-remembered by the immigrant students.
For the last several years, Pepco has made plans to renovate the substation in Adams Morgan, which would mean removing the Unity Mural. In an emailed statement, the company told WTOP it’s part of its Capital Grid project which aims to, “improve reliability and meet future energy demands in the area.”
Both groups are now trying to find a way to somehow preserve the mural after years of negotiating.
“We have been engaged with Hola Cultura to discuss potential options for preserving the existing mural on the substation in a way that honors the mural’s history and cultural importance. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with the community as we move forward with this critical reliability project,” Pepco said in a statement.
Jauregui-Volpe said they may recreate the mural on removable panels to be placed at the same location or near another business in the city that wants to house the mural.
“Or just painting it again in at another location,” he said.
Next year, Hola Cultura plans to update its map of Latino murals. If you are aware of a mural the organization might have missed, it urges anyone to reach out on its website.
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