B e y o n d t h e W a l l
In 2021-22, the Northern NJ Community Foundation’s (NNJCF) ArtsBergen Initiative, in partnership with members of the Englewood community, commissioned The Black Women’s Mural: Celebrating the Significance of the Black Suffragists and Black Women in Englewood, NJ. The Black Women’s Mural is located in Englewood, NJ. It is a 520 sq. ft. mural painted on the Women’s Rights Information Center building. On the mural, you will find activists who fought for women’s rights to vote across several political and social movements. Throughout this website, you will learn more about the mural's creation, the women depicted in it, and the community and history that inspired it.
the black women's mural
How it all began
In 2021, NNJCF’s ArtsBergen implemented a project called the Black Women’s Mural: Celebrating the Significance of the Black Suffragists and Black Women in Englewood, NJ. This project exemplifies how a place's history can be transformed into public art through creative placemaking. The mural was inspired by three events converging in 2020: the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, the rise of the BLM movement, and a grant opportunity to celebrate the anniversary with a mural. Its genesis was three-fold: history as motivation, art as education, and Black women as inspiration.
The mural project aimed to:
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Celebrate Black women in Englewood, inspired by the Black Suffragists.
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Raise awareness about the impact of the Black Suffragists on the 19th Amendment.
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Use engaging public art to foster civil discourse.
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Incorporate and celebrate voices from the community, especially Black women from the Fourth Ward.
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Provide a platform for Black women to share messages important to them.
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Connect the City through the power of arts and culture.
The mural was completed in 2023. The women featured in the mural are Ida B. Wells-Barnett; Josie Carter Smith, a founding board member of the Women’s Rights Information Center; local Civil Rights activists; and current Englewood residents Kia S. Thornton Miller, Toni Michelle Miller, and Hali Cooper. The mural celebrates the monumental accomplishments and freedoms fought for by the Black suffragists and honors the unique contributions sewn into the fabric of Englewood and today’s society by Black women. This mural depicts history, present, and future.
About the artist
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
Through a community-driven selection process, the artist, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, was selected. Ms. Fazlalizadeh's ethos on her art, along with her creative process, strongly aligned with the goals of the project and were important factors in the selection committee’s unanimous decision.
As stated on her website: “Tatyana is a visual artist focusing on oil painting, murals, and multimedia installation. Her work centers the experiences of Black folks, women, and queer folks. Site and location are crucial aspects of her work, as she considers how race and gender affect a person’s ability to navigate certain environments. Here, social and community engagement are also vital in her work.”
De’von Downes, assisted Tatyana in painting the mural. Learn more about him and his work here.
Community-driven creation
NNJCF’s ArtsBergen approached this project using “creative placemaking.” Creative placemaking is a participatory planning process that engages community members, municipal leaders and other local stakeholders in making decisions about how arts and culture can be used to make their community more vibrant, enjoyable, and cohesive. The arts evoke shared human emotion and encourage dialogue, which can build bridges for mutual trust and understanding, unifying and strengthening community identity.
It was crucial that the community was represented in the mural and took a lead role in forming the content of the artwork. NNJCF hosted two community workshops on Zoom during the height of the pandemic in 2021. The first was educational; Englewood community members learned about African American women’s contributions to the Women’s Suffrage Movement. They also shared their perspectives and thoughts on what themes should be highlighted in the mural.
During the first workshop, some attendees expressed the following:
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“Black mothers were a strong force in the desegregation of Englewood schools and they led many sit-ins. I’d like that represented in the mural.”
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“Black women activists should be noted to motivate people to get educated about voting history.”
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“Josie Carter Smith, an African American woman was a founding member of the Women’s Right Information Center (the building in which the mural will be painted). I think it’s a good idea to include her.”
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“As a white woman, I’m totally committed to seeing this project through and helping elevate Black women’s voices in Englewood.”
The second workshop was more conversational and was facilitated by artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. Ms. Fazlalizadeh first shared a presentation of her work and talked about her values and what inspires and drives her as an artist. She then opened a conversation by asking participants the following questions:
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What Story Should Be Told on the Mural?
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How do Black women continue to lead the fight for equality today?
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What challenges exist and what relates to the history of the Black suffragists?
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What do Black women want to say to the public?
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How Should the Mural Look?
Many participants responded with comments and themes such as:
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“Highlight important leaders and create a QR code so people can learn more about them, like Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Angela Davis, and Rosa Parks.”
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“Transformation of Black women over the years.”
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“Quiet determination and courage in making change. Persistence.”
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“Black woman are telling Englewood the story. Depict emotion, but do not depict them as angry. So many images do.”
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“The mural should inspire Black women to get engaged.”
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“Mother/family. Growing up, someone was always looking out for the children, even if those children weren’t’t theirs.”
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“Illustrate historical figures leading into contemporary figures.”
The workshop closed with a final question asking the group to state one short phrase that would capsulize the spirit of the mural. Responses included:
“Longevity.”
“I am a woman. I am a mother. I am powerful.”
“Joyful, unstoppable, miraculous power.”
“The struggle continues with love.”
“We are here.”
Englewood community members shared reference materials with the artist, participated in interviews, and were offered the opportunity to share their likeness for the mural.
in the heart of downtown:
The Women's Rights Information Center
The Black Women’s mural is located at 108 Palisade Ave, Englewood, NJ 07631 at the historic Women’s Rights Information Center (WRIC). The Center is a nonprofit organization with a mission to empower women. Historically, the Center has been and continues to be a safe haven for women in the Englewood area. One of the community leaders NNJCF engaged early in the process was Lil Corcoran, WRIC’s Executive Director. Given the mural’s topic of the 19th amendment the organization became an ideal partner. Even better, WRIC had recently painted one side of their brick building white leaving a beautiful blank canvas. What made it more ideal was that the building was centrally located in the heart of Englewood’s bustling downtown, facing the busy main road, Palisade Avenue.
Learn more about the mission of the Women’s Rights Information Center from founding board member and mural subject, Josie Carter Smith:
Josie Carter Smith on the Beginnings of WRIC
Lil Corcoran describes the history of the Women’s Rights Information Center and its importance to the mural’s location:
About
the northern New Jersey
community foundation:
NNJCF's mission is to improve community life in Northern New Jersey. We connect people with resources, design innovative programs, and provide leadership in the areas of arts, environment, and civic engagement. Central to its success is fostering collaboration among local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profits, and community groups. NNJCF envisions a Northern Jersey where all people feel heard and connected. NNJCF aims to build stronger communities in Northern New Jersey by answering,“What can we do together that we can’t alone?”
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As part of its mission, the NNJCF utilizes the arts as a “universal language” to bridge diversity, encourage cooperative activity, and build stronger social cohesion by celebrating people, their culture, and their talents. In order to make transformative work through the arts more effective, the NNJCF established ArtsBergen, an arts initiative working with various stakeholders such as artists, arts organizations, and non-profit and municipal leaders to use the arts to shape the social, physical, cultural, and economic identity of communities.
Charles Cobb talks community impact
Charles Cobb, former Englewood City Councilman and longtime resident, describes the role that this mural has played in preserving Englewood’s history and reactions to the Black women’s mural:
Visit the mural
108 W Palisade Ave, Englewood, NJ
mural partners
Core Community Partner Team
Women’s Rights Information Center
The Woman’s Club of Englewood
Metro Community Center
King Jorde Culturals
Partners
Lynne Algrant
Arts Horizons
George Chin
City of Englewood Mayor and Council
Theodora Lacey
League of Women Voters of Teaneck
Samuel Lee
National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. (Teaneck-Englewood & Vicinity Club)
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All the Black women of Englewood and those who generously contributed their stories, This mural is dedicated to you.
Major Supporters
Visions Credit Union
Age-Friendly Englewood
PNC Bank
Englewood's [HER]story
