“Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on ’til victory is won."

A quote from the poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900. Johnson was an American writer and civil rights activist. Originally born in Jacksonville, he became a big influence in the Harlem Renaissance and eventually the executive secretary of the NAACP. 

Although written over 100 years ago, It seems that those words still ring a bell of relevance even today. With so much progress behind us, we still have so much more to go. Together, let us sing the song of faith and hope, and march on into this new rising sun. 

This mural is a tribute to James Weldon Johnson, his poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and it's historical influence, and all BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) in this country and world that have dealt with and learned from "the dark past", to instill "hope that the present has taught us" and to help face the rays of the new rising sun. 

The black and white flowers are a representation of the dark past, the colorful flowers are the hope of the present progress, and the sunset inspired background represents the rays of the new rising sun. The past and present are going through the process of being illuminated by the rhythmic movement of the line of music dancing through the composition. This line is the powerful song being sung out by a Jacksonville local musical artist and model @akaimarje 

Original source image by local Jacksonville photographer: @faithyy_b 

Painted and curated by @artrepublicglobal in Jacksonville, FL

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