Extra Credit: The Black Experience Mural

One day on my way back from class, I decided to  check out "The Black Experience" mural in Ackerman Union. As explained in class, this mural was painted more than 20 years ago as a response to the Kent State University shootings, which claimed the lives of four student protesters speaking out against the Vietnam War. After this terrible event, protests broke out at many other campuses, including UCLA. As a result of these protests, the campus was vandalized and students decided to paint a mural in order to represent important moments in African-American history.   Six students are depicted in the mural along with one other kid. The images of these individuals are made up of smaller pictures of famous African American leaders and images of advertisement posters for slaves. As explained in class, this mural was covered by a false wall in 1992 when the area in Ackerman was remodeled and was recently uncovered and restored. When looking at this mural, I am able to see and understand the history and significance behind it. I particularly liked how, as I looked longer at the piece, I uncovered more details. I think that the exhibition of this mural in such a central area in Ackerman is important in the appreciation of African American culture and history. Looking at this image now, I can see how powerful it is and can only imaging how powerful it was back then when it was created after the shooting and protests. I hope that as UCLA continues to renovate and grow as a university it remembers to keep this mural on display.