Monday, March 18, 2013

Monday Mural: A Fist

This simple mural is found in West Oakland along Mandela Parkway.  I imagine it is meant to be educational to the younger generations that were not around during the 1968 Olympics.  The Wiki article about this event taught me several things I didn't know, including that the silver medalist on the podium with Smith and Carlos supported their actions and ultimately lost an earned position on his country's 1972 Olympic team.  I imagine even now this image has the power to generate a certain amount of controversy.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Once you start looking, you find them all around.  Follow the Linky steps below.  Be sure to link back to this meme and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

15 comments:

  1. It is definitely displaying a political message. I don't know how old your photo is but I think the wording might have changed. Have a look at this web page http://streetarttour.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/evolution-of-a-west-oakland-mural/.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They left out the Aussie who was with them. But of trivia. He lent them his gloves. That's why they have raised a right fist and a left fist.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I remember this very well, nice painting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good to see a mural with a political attitude!
    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Oakland, I am back too :-)Bonne semaine to you and to your blogger friends.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The comments add interesting insight to the mural and add to the words you provided. As a young child back then, I don't recollect much about this, so it was indeed educational.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The barbed wire seems to add an even greater dimension

    ReplyDelete
  8. I remember this also ODP, I was quite young but some things obviously rattle around in there always :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Born with it? Heck no. I wish! I wasted a lot of time gettin' it. hahahaha

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those were turbulent and interesting times.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Interesting point of view.

    The net brings to mind the bars of a prison ...

    ReplyDelete
  12. fistful of steel....

    ReplyDelete
  13. It is very difficult to take a shot of mural with the wire fence. We have a three block long of murals depicting different eras done by the students along the LA River close to where I live.

    ReplyDelete