Screen Shot From Zoom meeting
Thursday’s meeting of the Derby Community Relations Committee.
DERBY — The search is on for a place in Derby to express and celebrate the legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Should it go on a small wall on Main Street near the side of Derby City Hall? How about a flood wall on the city’s river walk near the Derby-Shelton bridge? Should it be a large banner that can be moved around, or something more permanent?
Where the mural will be placed and what it will depict is all up in the air right now — in fact, there’s even some difference of opinion on locations. But, according to statements made at a public meeting Thursday night, that’s perfectly OK, because it’s really about the journey, not necessarily the destination.
“Overall, we understand how important it is to get support from not just the community, but from you all,” said Maliqa Mosley, chairwoman of the Valley MLK Committee, told members of the Derby Community Relations Committee (CRC), a subcommittee of the Derby Board of Aldermen.
Mosley said the MLK Committee is primarily made up of faith leaders from Ansonia and Derby. Team, Inc. in Derby also plays an important role. The MLK committee teamed with Ansonia government to have a bust of King placed outside Ansonia City Hall. The MLK Committee has held two or three meetings with Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan to talk about a mural in Derby.
While the planning is still in its infancy stages, on Thursday the discussion expanded to include Derby Aldermen Ron Sill, Rob Hyder, and Charles Sampson, members of the CRC. And, in the coming days and months, it’ll expand to include the full Board of Aldermen and the public. The hope is to spur discussion and unity — things, by the way, Dr. King gave his life for, by coming together and deciding on an appropriate mural and location.
And, of course, the hope is that the mural itself will also be a unifying factor in Derby, and beyond.
“We want this to be a community project, where we all work together,” Mosley said.
The MLK Committee is teaming up with the nonprofit CT Murals, a project through the RiseUP for the Arts organization, along with New Haven native/artist Isaac Bloodworth, a UCONN graduate and museum technician at Yale Center for British Art, to complete the project. It’s also anticipated that local high school students will assist with the mural.
RiseUP’s mission is to have 39 murals painted across Connecticut towns and cities, one for each year of King’s life.
This video shows a mural in Manchester:
Deacon Dave Gatison, a Derby resident, is with Macedonia Baptist Church in Ansonia. He stressed that only 39 cities in the state of a part of the MLK Mural Project. It’s something for which the city and its residents should be proud.
“The people of Derby can collectively be involved in this project, with their ideas, and their volunteerism, whether it is raising funds or selecting the location,” Gatison said. “Many people are aware of the issues that affect our country, our state and our community. They’re thinking this is a part of the healing process, not a part of the problem.”
During Thursday’s meeting, Randy Ritter, a Derby resident, submitted a list with a number of proposed locations for the mural. Mayor Dziean and Alderman Hyder liked the idea of putting the mural on a wall near the entrance to the river walk near the Derby-Shelton bridge. Dziekan noted 400,000 people use the river walk each year.
No one supported putting the mural too deep into the river walk, which stretches from the Derby-Shelton bridge to Division Street before crossing into Ansonia. While there is plenty of wall space within the river walk, the walls are constantly vandalized.
Mosley said the committee hopes to get the mural placed at a prominent spot in Derby, where it can serve its purpose of unity and conversation.
Alderman Sill, the chairman of the CRC, said the groups will work together over the coming months to make the mural happen. Dziekan agreed.
“I think this is something that everyone wants,” the mayor said.
Ritter also suggested some notable people of color from Derby’s history be included in the mural, such as Ebenezer D. Bassett, who grew up in Derby and was the first native-born African-American diplomat.
