A North Texas artist is telling the story of Juneteenth’s past, present and future in a new mural. It’s located in the south Dallas Fair Park neighborhood, an area that plays a key role in the mural’s story. Noelle Walker sat down with the artist.
Dallas mural artist J.D. Moore spent one month painting a new Juneteenth mural called "Absolute Equality" on a courtyard wall at the South Dallas Cultural Center.
"It's important to sort of highlight South Dallas and Fair Park's role in the legacy of Juneteenth," Moore said. "Fair Park actually has played a huge role in the revitalization of the Juneteenth holiday."
Moore spent time researching to get the inspiration for his imagery, which is a timeline that goes from present day Juneteenth celebration back to Black Union soldiers in 1865.
"They are the genesis of the Juneteenth holiday," Moore said.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Those soldiers fought for freedom in the Union Army, and then enforced the 1865 order that freed slaves.
"Their gaze is important," Moore said. "I wanted you to know a sense of pride, but also a sense of pain and sacrifice as well."
The history of Fair Park has that, too.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"They erected a building called the Hall of Negro Life that opened on Juneteenth," Moore said.
That was in 1936. The hall was a place to highlight Black excellence in art and science. It was demolished months after it opened.
"A lot like Black Wall Street," Moore said. "When we do something great, they try and tear it down."
The African American Museum sits on the same site in Fair Park today. Moore's mural pays tribute to Harlem Renaissance artist, Aaron Douglas, whose murals were on the walls of the demolished hall.
"This is his signature style," Moore said. "There is, I think, power in recognition and conversation."
The mural is a timeline that takes the viewer from 1865 to present day, showing what Juneteenth celebrates, and maybe sparking conversations about what still needs to be done.
"To actually change the lives of the people that we're trying to celebrate and recognize," Moore said.
The official mural unveiling is Monday, on the Juneteenth holiday.
