Letter to the editor: Let the graffiti breathe

Posted on Jun 9, 2020 by Letters

Graffiti at the Old Capitol Building following the Tuesday night protest, June 3, 2020. — Izabela Zaluska/Little Village

By Alexis Durow, Iowa City

Re: “The power of Black Lives Matter protests and graffiti in Iowa City”

Thank you for articulating your experience so well.

If I could add a little bit to it…

As I watched someone cleaning the spray paint off of a building, I thought, “Let the graffiti breathe”; let the people of this town/campus take all of this in for a while. Let the poets, musicians, photographers and the artists capture this experience for us. Let this be a time and place for fundamental change to start.

I understand the need to clean up. However, I still find myself going to the words on the streets and buildings each day to feel, mourn, think and plan.

I am a long-time resident of Iowa City and a Hawkeye through and through. I was an undergraduate and graduate student of the university. I love this town, the university and its campus. But I don’t just appreciate the buildings. This place led me to understand what is right in the world, and today’s movement is right.

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