King Hall mural features civil rights leader
By Carla Meyer, 嘿嘿视频 School of Law
A vibrant new mural adorns a wall in the courtyard of King Hall, the building for 嘿嘿视频 School of Law.
Co-created by Reza Harris 鈥19, the mural depicts Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., after whom King Hall is named, and the word 鈥淒ream.鈥 That spray-painted word pays tribute to King鈥檚 famous 1963 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥 speech, Harris said, 鈥渁nd it is a message to the students here: You can look out the window while you are studying, and see a reminder of what your goals are.鈥
Harris collaborated on the mural with artist Eric Norberg. Fellow King Hall students helped paint the mural. The mural's progress and eventual debut is depicted in the accompanying video, below.
鈥淒ifferent students got to stop by and put their hands on the paint, and learn how to do the art form,鈥 he said. Harris has experience with mural tutorials, having co-founded San Francisco鈥檚 5 Elements Youth Program, which teaches social justice through art. Harris will be the student speaker at the law school鈥檚 May 18 commencement.
Street art and law
After graduation, Harris will work at a Silicon Valley law firm, focusing on intellectual property law. Harris said he has a special interest in how the law pertains to street art.
The mural was unveiled on April 23 during a celebration for graduating third-year law student members of the Black Law Students Association, which spearheaded the mural鈥檚 creation.
鈥淩eza鈥檚 mural is an artistic symbol of our growth as an organization,鈥 BLSA President Paige Tucker said.
鈥淭he mural encourages the continued legacy of leadership and pursuit of justice in honor of Dr. King.鈥
At the ceremony, 嘿嘿视频 School of Law Dean Kevin R. Johnson discussed the importance of the Black Law Students Association to the school鈥檚 history. For instance, the organization played a key role in obtaining the terra cotta statue of King that sits in the law school鈥檚 lobby, he said. 鈥淯p to this day, BLSA is one of the foundations, one of the bedrocks, of 嘿嘿视频 School of Law,鈥 Johnson said. And now, a BLSA-sponsored artwork is part of the actual concrete.
Watch a video about the mural.