This
70 foot high mural can no longer been seen on the west side of a
building in the 9-hundred block of Chestnut Street in Philadelphia.
It was created by the Philadelphia Mural Project in six weeks at a cost
of $45-thousand dollars in order to be finished in time for the
Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in July of 2000. The
inscription on the mural contains the names of Philadelphians who
played important roles in the underground railroad.The building it was
painted on was torn down in June of 2002 to make way for an expansion
of the parking lot. A spokesman for the city of Philadelphia said the
decision was made due to the economic benefits of the additional
parking.
No wall mural is a permanent piece of art. The average life of a wall
mural is 20 to 25 years. Harriet Tubman's Lantern of Liberty lasted 23
months.
BlackCommentator.com
Publisher and Chief Technical Officer Peter Gamble, is the recipient of
a national Sigma Delta Chi award for public service in journalism and
numerous other honors for excellence in reporting and investigative
reporting. The “beats” he covered as a broadcast journalist ranged from
activism in the streets to the State Department and White House. The
lure of a personal computer on his desk inspired a career change in
1985 and an immersion into what he saw as the future of communications.
The acquisition of computer programming skills made it possible for
Peter to achieve an important level of self-reliance in the technology
of the 21st century and to develop BlackCommentator.com. Contact Mr. Gamble.
