The Eastern Michigan University (EMU) community and Ypsilanti residents are being invited to give input on a new mural conceived as a response to recent incidents of racist graffiti on EMU's campus.
EMU community members organized the EMU Unity Mural Collaboration in response to incidents in which racial slurs were found painted on campus buildings this fall. Organizers envision a mural on McKenny Hall that would highlight cultural struggles and issues from EMU's past and present, as well as the community's vision for its future. A workshop for Ypsi residents and EMU students, faculty, and staff to give input on the mural's "present" and "future" themes is scheduled for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The mural was originally planned to be installed in January, but organizers backed off that deadline to allow more time for community feedback. Mural proposals will be accepted until October 2017 and the mural is now slated to be installed next fall.
Co-organizer and EMU senior Steven Kwasny says the idea for the mural came to him while talking and listening to people at the rallies and protests following the graffiti incidents, as well as less formal meetings with friends and peers to talk and chalk positive messages on EMU sidewalks.
"What occurred was an attack on our student body, and in my eyes an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us," Kwasny says. "There had to be something done about it."
After bouncing the idea off of a couple of friends, Kwasny took it to the school administration, who he says have been highly supportive and grateful for the student-led effort. With the school's approval, he started casting a wide net, reaching out to department heads, faculty members, and student organizations.
"Everyone in the EMU community is welcome wholeheartedly — students, staff, faculty, alumni — anyone can submit a proposal," he says. "The outreach has gone far and wide. There's no micro-targeting, just everyone on campus."
Last week organizers hosted an outreach day on campus, featuring Ypsilanti community and EMU leaders. Response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, Kwasny says.
"There hasn't been a single person I've talked to who has said this is a bad idea or has put up any roadblocks," he says.
Eric Gallippo is an Ypsilanti-based freelance writer.
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