a progressive community

The Black woman at the left included in the mural is based on Sarah Williams Young, #69, Hallowell, ca. 1864. She and her husband John we married and lived in Hallowell. John worked as a laborer.

Hallowell, Maine was a refuge for African Americans and was part of the underground railroad. The first Abolitionist society in Maine was formed in Hallowell by Ebenezer Dole.

The story of James Matthews is of note. He was a Black man who escaped enslavement in South Carolina to find refuge in Hallowell. You can read more here.

Many important things happened while I was painting the mural—the BLM movement, the murder of George Floyd, and the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the death of Congressman John Lewis. I referenced these in the fan she is holding.

artist, Chris Cart