Every street has a racist past
that never ended

This mural explores the history of systemic racism in one city, one street, one block—ours.

8500 N Edison St, Portland, OR 97203

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A story inside each 16-foot letter

This didn’t start with us. It hasn’t ended with us either. Each letter tells the events of a single year (more or less) in the history of this street, this neighborhood, this city, this state. It starts in 1802 and ends in 2018. See what happened here. What happened everywhere.

 

An overwhelming community response

  • Over $16,000 raised for local anti-racist nonprofits

  • Thousands of visits week after week from neighbors across Portland

  • Hundreds of thousands of views in The Oregonian, KGW, KATU and other outlets

  • The Side Show Awards / Silver / Social Good

 

Update: The end of the mural

 

In the beginning of 2021, PBOT repaved Edison street, cracking the mural into dust, replacing it with smooth asphalt ready for the next wave of condo construction. To be honest, this was always a temporary installation. Paint on an old broken-down road was never going to last. Now the work continues for all of us to make a more permanent impact on our community.