MCC to dedicate 'social justice' mural Thursday

McHenry County College will dedicate a new mural titled "Constructive Resilience" Thursday to raise awareness about educational discrimination and social justice.

The dedication includes a showing of the documentary film that inspired the mural, "Changing the World, One Wall at a Time," about the world's largest street art and human rights campaigns. It will be followed by a discussion and viewing of the mural, at 3 p.m. in the Scot Room and 7 p.m. in the Bersted Lecture Hall, Room A240, on the college's campus, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake. The event is free and open to the public.

MCC students planned the mural after a 2017 showing of that documentary sponsored by the Student Peace Action Network. Several MCC groups collaborated on the project, including the Black Student Union, Multicultural Affairs Office, and the Horticulture Department. Community collaborators include Continuing the Conversation on Racial Healing, and Faithbridge, which funded the mural.

The mural depicts people who volunteered to be photographed in gardening poses and silhouettes.

"Through the metaphor of a human garden, the mural unfolds a story of the disintegration of antiquated, societal perceptions, and the integration of the understanding of the oneness of humankind," artist Laura McLuckie-Khandan said of her inspiration for the mural.