Culture: Arizona school: Can you whiten up the black kid on this mural? (whoa)
- We consistently, for two months, had people shouting racial slander from their cars. We had children painting with us, and here come these yells of (epithet for Blacks) and (epithet for Hispanics).
- Prescott, Ariz. Downtown Mural Project director R.E. Wall • Regarding the ridiculous chain of events that led to the group lightening the skin of children depicted on a local elementary school’s mural. The mural, by the way, is trying to promote green transportation, and features pictures of KIDS AT THE SCHOOL. Wall says that he and others were depicted to racial slurs on a regular basis while painting the mural. While the school claimed it was only to fix shading, the controversy got so bad that a city councilman who hosts a radio show was trying to get the mural taken down. Real quote from Steve Blair: “To depict the biggest picture on the building as a Black person, I would have to ask the question: Why?” Holy crap. This is 2010. (Hat tip Carissa Wright) source