Deliver Black Dreams was originally developed in September 2020 by Black Popular Front of Race Class Narrative Action. The major goal in its inaugural months was to amplify Black American electoral power, increasing and connecting the legibility and efficacy of the Black American vote to Black American governing power. Deliver Black Dreams was created to complement the ongoing narrative strategy of organizations that fight for racial equity in the United States primarily and in the Midwest. It was intended to expand capacities and make it more possible for communications and organizing goals, while not adding more work to already robust programs.

The public reaction to the artwork created from #ArtUnitesCbus sparked a deeper discussion about art, activism and the support necessary to create real and lasting change and these exhibitions have become components of public art and visual expression for a new aspirational racial equity campaign, Deliver Black Dreams.

Deliver Black Dreams emerged, initlally as a Get Out the Vote campaign led by Marshall Shorts, designer, principal at Artfluential and co-creator of Creative Control Fest. Deliver Black Dreams has evolved into a larger community-wide campaign OF, BY and FOR Black people. It is a campaign that seeks long-term change in the culture and across multiple sectors including health, education, culture, safety and more..

“Deliver Black Dreams is about creating a city for ALL of US, where ALL can live abundantly,” said Shorts. “Deliver Black Dreams is more than a campaign. It is a commitment. It is about connecting cultural products such as public art to tangible systemic change that reimagines a world where all of us can thrive. Deliver Black Dreams is centered in a Black voice and affirms that Black Lives Matter AND if they do then we must make a commitment to Deliver Black Dreams.”

Deliver Black Dreams, a partnership between Maroon Arts Group, the city of Columbus and the Greater Columbus Arts Council, uses public art as a launch point for a sustained and future-oriented approach to achieving racial equity in Columbus.

The first of six large public murals was painted in early November 2020 on Fifth Avenue, just west of Cleveland Avenue. The Deliver Black Dreams mural was designed and painted by Lisa McLymont with the assistance of five artists: Marcus William Billingsley, Hakim Callwood, Shelbi Harris-Roseboro, Francesca Miller and April Sunami. Click on the image above for artist names and location details.

COMING UP: As of spring 2021, plans are well underway for two more murals.