See how this St. Petersburg mural is being reimagined for Juneteenth

ST. PETERSBURG — A Black Lives Matter mural painted on the street in front of The Woodson African American Museum of Florida is being reimagined, and the new mural will be unveiled Monday.

The original mural was completed in 2020 and unveiled on Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. In the midst of the pandemic and the protests after George Floyd’s murder that year, it was a powerful message that attracted many visitors.

Now, the museum has partnered with the city of St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance to repaint the mural with a new message: Black History Matters. It will be unveiled during the museum’s Juneteenth celebration, 11 a.m. Monday at 2240 Ninth Ave. S.

Local artists the Vitale Bros. outlined the letters of the new mural. Like the first mural, local artists were assigned a letter to fill in with their signature style and painted all day on Saturday.

Charlotte Mack lays down a base coat for the Black History Matters street mural on Saturday in St. Petersburg. [ CHLOE TROFATTER | Times ]

Vera Herrera begins painting her letter within the Black History Matters mural. [ CHLOE TROFATTER | Times ]

James Hartzell presents his plan for his part of the Black History Matters street mural outside of the Woodson museum. [ CHLOE TROFATTER | Times ]

Many of the same artists returned, including Cam Parker, Jason Harvin and Catherine Weaver, while Raheem Fitzgerald and Reid Jenkins are new this year.

Elected officials, including Mayor Ken Welch and Sen. Darryl Rouson, will be in attendance during the mural presentation. The Rev. Clarence Williams of Greater Mount Zion AME Church will offer the invocation. The event will also include spoken word, poetry and dance.

“The Woodson Museum is in the moment — diversity, equity, inclusion, and history are here to stay,” said Terri Lipsey Scott, executive director of the Woodson Museum, in a news release. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, our museum will continue to work to educate others about Black history and ensure that it is preserved, presented, celebrated, and commemorated!”

Ninth Avenue South between 22nd and 23rd streets will be closed to traffic until July 10.