New mural to highlight African American residents of Monroe County
Plans are underway for a new mural in downtown Forsyth to highlight the achievements of the city's African American residents.
FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Plans are underway for a new mural in downtown Forsyth to highlight the achievements of the city’s African American residents.
The Hubbard Alumni Association is working with the city of Forsyth to paint a new mural featuring historical and living Black residents of Monroe County.
Some of the residents who will be displayed on the mural include William Hubbard, who founded Hubbard School, his son Samuel Hubbard, and former students and faculty of the school. The mural will also feature local business owners, such as Burleigh Singleton, who owns the property where the mural will be painted.
Winnifred Berry, assistant treasurer of the Hubbard Alumni Association, explained how Mr. Singleton approached the association with the idea.
“Well we kind of started talking about it, and there’s a few murals around Monroe County, and we thought that’d be a good place for it,” Berry said. “Mr. Singleton had that thought in his mind before we even came to him about it, and he was all for it.”
The mural will be located on the brick wall on the corner of East Johnston Street and Paul James Historical Place.
Berry hopes the mural will bring visitors to the Hubbard Museum and Cultural Center.
“You’re coming in off of I-75, and you come into town, and that’d be about the first big wall you see, and we think that’d be a nice place to put it,” Berry said.
Tammy Selman, grant specialist with the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, explained how she is helping the Hubbard Alumni Association secure funding for the mural.
“We’re in the planning stages,” Selman said. “But once we’ve got permission, and we’ve already been to the city, we are moving forward to start looking for the grants.”
Selman says the grant process will take up to six months, and she hopes the Hubbard Alumni Association will be able to start work on the mural within a year.
“We just think that it’s important that we become very invested in our community, and we begin to invest in the people that live here, stay here and come here,” Selman said.
The Hubbard Alumni Association is accepting donations to help fund the mural. Any artist interested in applying to paint the mural can contact the Hubbard Alumni Association.
