The Mural of Courage is a community mural project that was completed on the recent Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Hollister for the San Benito Stories of Courage event.
The mural was coordinated in partnership with Gilroy’s Community Media Access Partnership (CMAP), the Blak Sage Gallery and the Bobby McGee Art Foundation, and organized by CMAP TV. The MLK Day was part of a national day of service, celebrated in thousands of communities across the country.
Multi-generational and multicultural artists and residents of San Benito County were invited to participate in painting the mural, which received support from the Cesar Chavez Foundation.
San Benito Stories of Courage was produced by CMAP in partnership with the Youth Alliance and Si Se Puede Learning Center as a community event to celebrate volunteerism and community service.
San Benito County artists Bernadine Belaski-McGee and Laura Foote developed the mural design as an abstract tree with the following quotes by Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King:
"Let the Spirit flourish and grow; so that we will never tire of the struggle." — Chavez
"We must struggle forever on the high plane of dignity and unity." — King
In addition, former Hollister resident Gabriel Gonzalez, 16, drew a charcoal portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. that is featured in the center of the mural.
The mural will be showcased at the Gavilan College Library lobby from February 21 through March 5. During this time, the public is invited to view the mural, and viewers are also invited to participate by writing their own "words of courage" on slips of paper that will be included on the mural.
After the public viewing at Gavilan College, the mural will be displayed at the Si Se Puede Learning Center on Cesar Chavez Day on March 29, and the community will have the chance to participate with their own "words of courage" at that time.
To find out more about the Mural of Courage project and CMAP TV's community youth programs, contact CMAP Media Education Manager Spencer Wilkinson at (408) 846-4983 in Gilroy, at (831) 205-1320 in Hollister, or e-mail him at spencer@cmap.tv.
About CMAP
CMAP (Community Media Access Partnership) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt award-winning public, educational, and government cable access television station and community media and technology center that serves southern Santa Clara County and San Benito County. CMAP has four cable channels, and streams all cable content online at www.cmap.tv.
In partnership with local nonprofit organizations and government agencies, CMAP provides positive after-school and in-school activities for over 500 local youth in digital literacy programs.
CMAP also produces professional, low-cost PSAs, mini-documentaries, and non-commercial promotional videos. CMAP offers the only media coverage of high school sports, arts and cultural events, and community meetings, events, and forums, and annually airs over 3,000 hours of local government meetings. For more information, call the CMAP Gilroy office at: (408) 846-4983 or the CMAP Holllister office at: (831) 205-1320
