Artist creates new mural in Downtown Phoenix to honor civil rights leader James Baldwin

Portrait of civil rights leader placed on façade of Downtown Phoenix building

The mural of James Baldwin is nine stories high, and is on display near Central Avenue.

PHOENIX - There is a push for more Black representation in the City of Phoenix, and one local artist is using her talents to honor a historical figure in the social justice movement, and make a statement in Downtown Phoenix that will last a lifetime.

The mural is the first of its kind, and it is painted in Downtown Phoenix's Roosevelt Row arts district.

"Creating a mural that would be powerful, that would create a representation of the Black community here," said artist Antoinette Cauley.

The mural of James Baldwin is nine stories high, and it is now on display alongside the Ten-Oo-One Building near Central Avenue and Roosevelt. Baldwin was a civil rights leader, author, and artist whose work spanned four decades, from the 1950's to the 1980's.

Jason Harvey, who co-owns the building, called up Cauley, who is his friend, with the hopes of putting up a portrait featuring prominent Black figures to give Black culture a large canvass in Phoenix. That's when Cauley went to work.

"I identify as a Black artist because we lack so much representation in the arts industry, so I consciously made that decision," said Cauley. "So I've pushed for representation for years. So to then be given this platform, that's massive. It's beyond words. I can't even explain that. It's just so important."

"Growing up in Arizona, there just weren't large images like this of Black people on buildings, and I feel like being able to help provide some of that representation, help a small child walk by and see that, wow," said Harvey. "Dark skin is beautiful. It's artistic. I'm enough myself. That's what's it's about."

Cauley and her friend say they chose Baldwin for the mural, because he encompasses so many of the social justice challenges the Black community has faced, and continues to face, and his image will create several educational opportunities for others to explore his work and life, ultimately sparking a much bigger conversation.

"There have already have been families who have come to visit this and are taking pictures and send them to me, and small children who have struggled with their complexion, and their parents are bringing them out here to see this, and show them how valuable and important they really are," said Cauley.