The Marquette University community is invited to participate in a formal dedication of the Our Roots Say That We’re Sisters mural on Monday, April 17, at 2 p.m. on Eckstein Common, followed by a reception in the garden level of the AMU.
This ceremony, delayed due to earlier COVID-19 restrictions, will entail an intercultural blessing, remarks from the artist, Mauricio Ramirez, and reflections on the impact of the mural. Registration is encouraged but not required.
The Our Roots Say That We’re Sisters mural began with a seed planted by MUSG. In 2019, MUSG proposed beautifying the campus in a way that would “highlight the importance of the experience, struggles and resilience of individuals and communities throughout the Milwaukee and Marquette communities.” The events of 2020 further mobilized the campus community under a shared vision: to create a big, bold, visual representation of the diversity on our campus. The result was this mural, which has since become a symbol of the intersectional beauty of women of color in our community.
The mural has also inspired a podcast series amplifying the stories of women students, faculty, staff and alumnae who have used their gifts to make a meaningful impact on others.
The mural’s vivid and prominent rendering of Marquette women, along with the oral histories recorded through the podcast, are reminders of the shared joys and common struggles of women of color and have helped to make the often invisible, visible.