‘All Black Lives Matter’ mural installed in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A street mural saying “All Black Lives Matter” is being installed in downtown Providence.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza was on hand Saturday for the unveiling of the public art project in Kennedy Plaza, the transit hub overlooking City Hall, which came as the city kicked off PVDFest, its summerlong art festival.

Rodney Davis, who helped organize the project, told WPRI-TV the mural will incorporate designs reflecting indigenous, Pan-African, and LGBTQ communities.

“This is a very silent but very loud protest,” he said.

The project has been in the works for more than a year and was made possible by local artists and the Providence Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism, Elorza and organizers said. A ribbon-cutting and celebration of the completed mural is slated for the weekend of the Juneteenth holiday.

“I think that what we are doing here is really, really special,” Elorza told the station. “As a way to continue the conversation to make sure this message of all black lives matter, we center it literally in our city.”

Earlier this week, some members of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island voiced criticism of the effort, saying they weren’t consulted. But a leading member of the group told WPRI-TV Saturday that was merely a “miscommunication.”

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