JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The brutal murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis at a Jacksonville gas station caught the attention of the country in 2012. Now, a local initiative is trying to make sure his story — and others — continue to spark conversation and change in the city.
Davis is one of the many Black lives being memorialized in a mural off Myrtle Avenue and 20th Street Expressway.
6 Ft. Away Gallery started as a way to give artists a job and a space to work during the coronavirus pandemic, but it has become a lot more than that.
“We didn’t want this to be a place of trauma, but a reflection of healing," gallery creator Shawana Brooks said.
A gallery initiative called Color Jax Blue is not only trying to make neighborhoods more beautiful but also trying to keep the stories of Jacksonville murder victims alive.
Brooks said projects like the “Injustice in Jacksonville” mural in Durkeeville is supposed to encourage community members in predominantly Black neighborhoods to stay educated about tragedies like the death of Davis and encourage them to act by going out to vote in November.
“So, we really started off with thinking about [Davis] as an individual – someone who did get some justice with his killer being behind bars, but knowing that a lot of other community members don’t get that same justice," she explained. “Research your candidates, talk to other people. Let's engage. Let's bring back conversation again.”
Brooks also hopes the art reminds community members to hold their heads up high, and she said the Color Jax Blue murals have already received a good response from those who live or work nearby.
“I see love. I see that they have been starving for this kind of visualization. I want to be able to feed them more," she said.
6 Ft. Away Gallery has been able to fund and hire 20 local artists during the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes visual artists, photographers, filmmakers and musicians.
