September 4, 2025
The mural was repainted on the street less than 24 hours after its removal.
A “Black History Matters” mural was restored on a St. Petersburg, Florida, street less than 24 hours after it was removed.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, a passerby saw the large street mural repainted outside the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, WFLA reports. Its return came after crews removed all art from city streets over Labor Day weekend.
The mural was one of several taken down by the Florida Department of Transportation. During its removal, two pastors were arrested while kneeling in prayer on the artwork in protest, FOX 13 reports.
“I was hoping to pray all night, I even had a pillow,” Pastor Ben Atherton-Zeman of the Unitarian Universalist Church said. “Unfortunately, we were only allowed to pray for 10 minutes.”
Atherton-Zeman said it was worth going to jail in an attempt to protect the mural. However, the second “Black History Matters” mural lasted only a few hours before Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) crews arrived late at night to repaint the street black once again.
“We live in a state where books that teach accurate Black history are banned, where teachers who teach accurate Black history are punished,” Atheron-Zeman said. “And now they want to erase a ‘Black History Matters’ mural? This is not about safety, this is about erasure.”
Originally featuring vibrant colors and patterns, some murals had been temporarily redone with chalk by protesters. The restored “Black History Matters” mural appeared in white paint.
Volunteers and mural artists originally painted the “Black Lives Matter” mural on 9th Avenue South in 2020, unveiling it during a Juneteenth celebration. In 2023, it was repainted as “Black History Matters,” with each letter created by a different artist.
The mural removal follows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing a law in June that requires street art to be removed from all sidewalks, roadways, curbs, and crosswalks statewide, citing safety concerns. Many Florida officials have challenged the call, but the deadline for compliance is Thursday, Sept. 4.
DeSantis has warned that state funding could be withheld if the art isn’t removed. It remains unclear whether the “Black History Matters” mural will face removal again.
“The more he paints over our murals, the more they are going to be painted back,” Atherton-Zeman said. “Because we can’t be erased.”
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