CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte's Black history is being celebrated in art and the meaningful messages behind the murals you might find throughout the city.
Artist Abel Jackson is the vision behind almost a dozen murals in the Queen City and said one of his main focuses is to highlight history.
“When we look at our history sometimes we see the devastation and don’t look at what’s still here," Jackson said.
A perfect example of that is his mural "Historic Brooklyn," found near the corner of South Brevard Street and 3rd Street in Uptown Charlotte. The mural recreates images of the Mecklenburg Investment Company and Grace AME Zion Church -- two cornerstones of the Black community at one time.
“I wanted to highlight some of the leaders of the community who helped build these organizations," Jackson said. “Uplift the community to show what Negro Wall Street is.”
Yet along with highlighting the past Jackson hopes to also inspire the future as seen in the images of the three young boys looking up to those leaders.
It's a theme he says many Black artists in Charlotte tend to follow in way or another.
“A variety of us working in different mediums and doing different things," he said. "So a very strong and powerful community.”
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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