Make the Teaneck Black Lives Matter Mural Permanent

Make the Teaneck Black Lives Matter Mural Permanent

Started
December 10, 2020
Petition to
Teaneck Town Council
Signatures: 1,030Next Goal: 1,500
Support now

Why this petition matters

Started by Odein Karibi-Whyte

Hello, my name is Odein Karibi-Whyte, a 2020 graduate of Teaneck High School and a current Morehouse College freshman who serves on the Teaneck Black Lives Matter Mural Committee. As a lifelong resident of Teaneck, I have seen and experienced the beauty of growing up in a racially and ethnically diverse town. I have friends who look nothing like me that come from different backgrounds and still, we are able to get along.

The beautiful diversity of Teaneck was on full display during the weekend of October 24th, when the community came together to paint the first Black Lives Matter Mural in our town and all of Bergen County.

We first started pursuing the mural back in early July of this year and after about four months of negotiation and unwanted compromise with the Town Council, we obtained the necessary permission to make the mural featured above, a reality.

Though this is a great accomplishment, we as a committee and community are still faced with challenges and obstacles such as the current temporary staus of the mural. As of now, the mural is set to stay on the ground for a total of 180 days. The 180 days would be over in April, and likely result in the mural being painted over. 

The mural has not only served as a community space where we have had events like a candlelight vigil to honor those lost to racial injustice and Covid-19 but as a bold statement. 

Affirming that Black lives are valued in a town where Phillip Pannel, a 16-year-old Black resident was killed is not just encouraging but necessary. Nothing about the phrase "Black Lives Matter" is temporary, and this mural should not be either.

One of the steps we can take towards making a better future in our town is making the Black Lives Matter Mural permanent. The future generations deserve to see and walk alongside the mural as a reminder that all lives, especially Black lives are valued in Teaneck. The mural is not the final step we take as a town, but one of the many steps we take, both symbolically and also legally, to stop racial injustices and support the Black community of our town.

We appreciate all the support from organizations such as The Puffin Foundation, Phillip Pannell Foundation, Teaneck Comes Together, Teaneck Women Together, Black Youth Organization, YWCA, TDMC, and all of you who have helped us get the mural down on the ground. Now we need you all to assist us in making this change permanent. Please sign this petition and help us take this needed step in Teaneck!

Support now
Signatures: 1,030Next Goal: 1,500
Support now
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Decision Makers

  • Teaneck Town Council