“Embrace Justice” Mural – Queens University, Charlotte, NC – Photo by Jon Furlong
The crew and I just finished a new mural, “Embrace Justice,” at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. It is on the outside of the Gambrell Center For the Arts & Civic Engagement, which is about as ideal a location philosophically as I can imagine. The Queens University slogans also aligned with my philosophy, so I harmoniously combined my text with some of the Queens’s sayings in the mural. My mom and sister both attended Queens, so I have a family connection here. I didn’t realize until I began the mural that I also have a personal relationship with the president of Queens, Daniel Lugo, because we had met a few times when he worked as a lawyer for Public Enemy and Chuck D., one of my biggest heroes. It immediately made sense that between Mike Wirth, who facilitated the mural project and has spearheaded other murals in Charlotte, and Daniel Lugo, I had spiritual allies making the project as ideal as possible.
-Shepard
