A politically charged mural in Richmond’s Northside has triggered an unexpected dispute, with Black community leaders saying they support the broader political message—but strongly object to the imagery used to convey it.
The artwork, painted on a building at the intersection of Brookland Boulevard and North Avenue, shows a dark-skinned Palestinian woman holding a slice of watermelon. The seeds of the fruit spell out the phrase “Free Palestine.”
While the mural’s creators say the image is a symbol of Palestinian resistance, several prominent voices in the local Black community say the visual carries painful historical baggage that cannot simply be ignored, ABC 12 reported on the controversy:
According to Faedah Totah, the watermelon has become a recognizable symbol tied to Palestinian identity. Totah explained that the symbolism dates back to the aftermath of the Six‑Day War, when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip and banned displays of the Palestinian flag. “The Palestinian flag has four colors, red, white, black, and green, which also happens to be the color of a slice of a watermelon,” Totah said. “So, what ends up happening when you ban the flag is that people become creative in finding different ways to express their national identity.” Over time, she noted, the fruit began appearing in Palestinian art and protest imagery.
“I have to say here that the watermelon is only one of the many symbols that Palestinians use to express their identity, to express their national belonging,” Totah said. “Watermelon definitely being a part of it, but the four colors more so than just the watermelon. But you also have the olive tree. You have Handala, who is a cartoon character, first drawn by the Palestinian, late Palestinian artist Naji Al-Ali, and of course, the Dome of the Rock, the Symbol of the Rock. Some of those symbols gained more international prominence than others.”
Totah added that the colors themselves carry symbolic meaning tied to Arab nationalist traditions. “So, the colors have a meaning, and there is a poem by an Arab nationalist that pretty much describes what these colors are,” Totah said. “And so green is for the fields, red is for the blood that is spilled in the name of liberation and independence. Black is the rage that is shown towards enemies who try to prevent us from self-determination. And then white has another meaning, which now escapes me, but probably has a lot to do with intent, with the righteousness of our cause.”
But for some residents—especially in a historically Black neighborhood—the mural’s imagery raises serious concerns. Jonathan Davis said the depiction immediately struck a nerve.
“I was taken aback because of the imagery that it represents, a watermelon up to the mouth of a Black woman,” Davis said. “So to me, understanding the history of our people and what happened during the Jim Crow era and how those images were used to demean us and make fun of us and ridicule us and run us out of the business, it really bothered me.” During the Jim Crow era, racist propaganda frequently depicted Black Americans eating watermelon as a way to mock them and undermine successful Black farmers who had built prosperity by growing the fruit.
Some leaders say the mural could easily be altered to preserve its political message while avoiding offensive imagery. William McGee suggested a compromise. “The history of the watermelon is a positive thing in the Black community, but it was used to denigrate other people, and that’s why we’re saying the image as it stands could be modified and would help the cause for both African-American freedom and justice and for the Palestinian cause,” McGee said.
Another activist, Gary Flowers, emphasized that Black activists have long been familiar with the Palestinian movement. “There’s been a 60-year alliance between the Black Liberation Movement in the United States of America and the Palestinian Freedom Movement in Palestine,” Flowers said. He cited historic connections involving major civil-rights figures.
“Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King visited Palestine. The Black Panthers visited Palestine. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee visited Palestine. And Brother Malcolm X visited Palestine. I am aware of the Palestinian movement through my work with Reverend Jesse Jackson, who went to Palestine to meet with PLO Chair Yasser Arafat. So, we are not lost on the history of the Palestinian movement or its symbolism.” Flowers believes the mural should reflect that shared history differently.
“We think that in order to commemorate that alliance, that 60-year alliance, we should remove the watermelon and replace it with the Black liberation flag and the Palestinian flag that will symbolize that unity of aspirational liberation,” he said.
Flowers also accused the building owner and artist of failing to properly engage the community before installing the artwork.
“In this case, we think that the owner of the building and the muralist failed the community in four ways,” Flowers said. “First, they did not meet with the community before they put the artwork up. Secondly, they placed it in the epicenter of downtown Northside, if you will, of Richmond, Virginia. This community, very Black and proud over the last 80 years. Thirdly, when we approached the owner and the artist privately by email and Zoom call, there was a dismissiveness of, well, it’s our art.”
Flowers, Davis, McGee and members of the NAACP held a press conference Friday to outline proposed changes. Roughly 20 residents attended.
Others in the neighborhood say the controversy is misplaced. Duron Chavis argued that the community faces far bigger issues. “I feel like there’s a litany of issues in Northside that are of more pressing importance than the issues that these folks are taking with the mural,” Chavis said. “I mean, from lack of access to healthy food, to lack of affordable housing, the Dominion bills, you know, the electricity bills that we’ve gotten over the last month, you know, even down to the Highland Park senior homes.”
Chavis believes the mural’s message is obvious and that the dispute only distracts from larger problems. “Especially when it’s obviously and very clearly, distinctly, speaking to the Palestinian genocide and lifting up the narrative of the importance of their resistance movement to survive,” he said.
The artist behind the mural, identified as Lauren S., said the piece was never meant to offend anyone. “I as an activist would never intentionally put my time, money and energy into creating something racist or harmful to any community, rather the opposite. These points have also already been communicated to the community as far as I know. The character is meant to be Palestinian. Any similarities to harmful imagery are completely unintentional,” Lauren said.
In a longer written statement, the artist described the mural as a message of hope. “From the rind to the seed, Palestine will be free. I paint this as a message of hope to the Palestinian people- as symbolized by the enduring spirit of plant life despite cruel conditions.
The watermelon, a fruit grown in Gaza and the West Bank, symbolizes Palestinian identity and resistance- its colors (red, black, white, green) reflecting those of the flag, which was banned after the 1967 war.
Olive trees and keffiyeh scarves represent Palestinian heritage, nationality, longevity and steadfastness on their land. I paint this now as an emblem of perseverance, solidarity, and defiance against the occupation and the horrific slaughter of over 71,600 people, and a plea that someday respect for our shared humanity will come to outweigh the politics of war. All people are deserving of life, safety, family. I know in my heart that we all believe that.”
The building owner, Teresa Sharpe, declined to appear on camera but said the intention was simply to give visibility to the Palestinian cause. She also said community members were contacted before the mural was painted.
