The Privilege of History

Lead Artist Bayunga Kialeuka oversaw a group of youth in the creation of The Privilege of History, a mural on two walls of Law Studies High School. For this project, one wall was deemed the conflict wall, and the second wall was deemed the resolution wall. Principal Monica Ortiz requested a mural on the conflict wall that illustrated a timeline of the following four historical events: The Woolworth Diner Sit-ins, Cesar Chavez's protest against unfair labor practices, the Women's Suffrage Movement, and the Separate-But-Equal Education and Institutional Debate. On the adjacent wall, she wished to see the mechanism to each issues legal resolution. The solution wall outlines three images: The Presidential signing of a congressionally passed bill, the judicial argument against unequal social and institutional practices, and the enforcement arm of the legal system. The sharp use of black and warm colors helped differentiate the resolution wall from the opposing conflict tone. The use of cool earth tones on the conflict wall also reflects its time period.