Children’s Mural Depicting HIV in African-American Community to be Displayed at Pennsylvania Capitol for World AIDS Day
A mural created by 10 Pennsylvania children depicting HIV/AIDS in the African-American community will be on display at the Pennsylvania state Capitol building on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day, the Harrisburg Patriot-News reports. The 10 children from Harrisburg, Pa., created the three-paneled mural this summer as part of the Who Will End the Silence Mural Project. The mural depicts images of "safety" and "protection," including a house, an umbrella and a shield. Nataki McNeal, an artist in residence at the Center for Women's Creative Expression and leader of the mural project, said, "We don't need to show death and needles and condoms. It's not about death. It's an affirmation." During the mural project, McNeal and others taught the children "coping mechanisms" to help them avoid HIV/AIDS, smoking, teen pregnancy and other "dangers of teen life." The mural was created with a grant from the Greater Harrisburg AIDS Fund and the National AIDS Fund in cooperation with the Initiative on HIV/AIDS in the African-American Community. The mural will also be available to community groups for displays (Fishlock, Harrisburg Patriot-News, 10/22).
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