Liberty City Mural - Lynsey Ward

Lynsey Ward

English 106 – MWF 12:20 – 1:10pm

Analysis of an object in Miami

Monday, April 9^th, 2012

Liberty City Mural

                  The vivid face portrait of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. glares daringly at each person to walk by; while the vibrant colors of the liberating Marcus Garvey Jr. flag demands attention to its message.  The U.S flag that is painted directly between the Marcus Garvey flag and the imperial flag of Ethiopia is both physically and metaphorically used as a link between the two.  These images comprise the Liberty City Mural that was drawn by the late Oscar Thomas, and hold more than just entertainment for the eyes.  This mural not only declared the “African American Historical Flag”, which has also been coined the “Unity Flag”, but represents the meaning and depth behind the residents, crime, and demographics of Liberty City.  This part of Miami is rarely ever mentioned in the highlights of the city, yet, it was because of the residents and the descendants of the residents of Liberty City that the Miami as we know it today was created.

                  My immediate punctum to this mural was an emotional one that took me deep into Black History.  Although I was born in a time where racism and the struggle of Black people was not nearly as high as it was in the past, there are still some aspects of life where we are reminded of just how hard that struggle was in the world today.  As an individual of black decent, I am able to relate partly with the residents of Liberty City, even though I have the fortuity of better living conditions.  My relation, and perhaps the root of my personal punctum to this mural is that I share some of the same values and aspirations with them, has it pertains to freedom and equality.  As a Caribbean student in a predominantly white university, I too sometimes feel like an outcast similar to the residents of Liberty City.  Although this feeling does not come about often, I can understand the tip of the iceberg that holds their feelings of discrimination and oppression, as far as the city of Miami is concerned.  Liberty City is an incredible example of how the struggle for African Americans is still alive for some people.  The fact that this community lives underneath the poverty line alone is proof that equality is not amongst us.  Further, the fact that it was the locals of Liberty City that built the city of Miami into what it is today, yet they are not given credit for it makes the question of equality rhetorical. This mural and the meaning behind it stand as hope for the future of Liberty City as it attempts to explain its residents.

                  The face of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. symbolizes the life long fight for equality and recognition that African Americans of Liberty City encounter.  The imperial Ethiopian flag symbolizes the origin of African Americans and the Marcus Garvey flag represents the hope that all people of Black decent have for improvement.  The link between these two flags and the U.S flag symbolizes the fact that although the residents of Liberty City are black, they are also American and should not be denied of the standard rights that one should have, even if it is just acknowledgement for the city they have built.  This mural pours knowledge about the struggle of Liberty City, and while doing so opens up an array of political issues, particularly the welfare in communities that are below the poverty line.  This is certainly an issue I hope to see fixed in the near future, along with the right gratitude and credit for building the city of Miami.