New Harriet Tubman mural comes to life in Oak Park from artist who painted Camp Fire ruins

A new mural of Harriet Tubman, a Black abolitionist and leader of the Underground Railroad that brought hundreds of slaves to freedom before the Civil War, has found a symbolic home at an Oak Park nonprofit group.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles-based artist Shane Grammer put the final touches on the new Tubman mural he created in collaboration with City of Refuge, an organization that has provided shelter and services for sex-trafficking survivors and workforce development for community members for nearly a decade.

The 20-foot-by-15-foot mural — inscribed with the passage “Every great dream begins with a dreamer” — adorns the western facade of the nonprofit group’s current location, on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. A mural of the slain civil rights leader is on the building’s eastern side.

“To have a woman on the wall that not only was someone that (escaped slavery) but then in turn took her courage and helped set others free ... many will be reminded of (that),” said City of Refuge CEO Rachelle Ditmore.

Founders Rachelle and Loren Ditmore had begun to brainstorm painting a mural for the community in early June, as a means to “play their part” amid the deep social frustrations they saw in their community following the death of George Floyd.

When Grammer, who the couple knew previously through their church, called to offer his services free, he suggested a mural of Tubman. The Ditmores agreed.

Rachelle Ditmore said Tubman’s significance as a woman who liberated herself from slavery should serve as an inspiration to sex-trafficking survivors.

“They don’t even known they’ve been in slavery,” she said.

Grammer prominently painted graffiti murals of the 2018 Camp Fire into the ruins of Paradise. More recently, he has worked around Los Angeles creating a mural commemorating George Floyd in West Hollywood and another celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. in Venice Beach.

Grammer said he’s always preferred painting to using social media to speak on important issues. “After the death of George Floyd, I knew I had to do something.”

Kashae Knox, City of Refuge’s director of workforce development, said she hopes the building’s murals will catch the attention of the students of nearby schools like American Legion Continuation School and Oak Ridge Elementary.

“People are looking for something,” she said. “(The murals) are a statement on the street for people that need encouragement.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 4:21 PM.