BLM painted on Main Street in downtown Burlington - WCAX

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Downtown Burlington turned into a canvas Sunday afternoon.

Just six days after Burlington City Council unanimously approved painting ‘Black Lives Matter’ right outside City Hall, hundreds of people came together to get it done.

Putting paint to pavement, volunteers say it’s to reaffirm the three words that have been echoed throughout the country in a call to end racial injustice.

“I think it’s important, said Scorates Cruz, from Goshen. “It should be in every city; small towns, big towns.”

“They’re made very conscious every time they drive over this street that it’s not just a black thing, said Kendra Miller of Burlington. “It’s something that everyone needs to think about.”

300 people came together to create the Queen City’s new street art.

The bright orange, 20-foot letters are visible to those who drive down Main Street, past City Hall.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger (D) hopes it serves as a reminder of the realities of systemic racism, specifically the racial disparities in healthcare exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Here in Vermont, we know black Vermonters make up only about one-percent of the population, but 10-percent of the infections. I hope this ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural will cause people to think about that and ask why and even more so, ask what they can do to be part of the solution.” Weinberger said.

Some Burlingtonians hope the mural sparks conversation and education about housing discrimination, voter suppression, and mass incarceration.

“Even in Vermont...we have one of the highest incarceration rates of African Americans in the country, yet we claim to be one of the most progressive,” Tinda Adian of Burlington said.

Volunteers say the mural is a nice gesture, but it needs to be backed up with policy change and action. City leaders are vowing to make that a priority.

“I think that’s what this community is committed to doing, is really, the deeper dig to understand, to look within ourselves and to do what we can to eradicate systemic racism,” Burlington City Council’s Karen Paul (D) said.

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BLM painted on Main Street in downtown Burlington - WCAX
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