Community mural in north Pasadena honors prominent Black icons, along an “African American Main Street”
A new, vibrant community mural featuring prominent Black icons, Black-owned businesses and religious centers was unveiled along Fair Oaks Blvd. in North Pasadena on Saturday, Nov. 23.
The colorful mural — designed to resemble a traditional African American quilt — highlights prominent Black icons from Pasadena, such as star athlete brothers Matthew and Jackie Robinson and author Octavia Butler. Hands are seen holding and weaving the quilt together, making a patchwork wall design located at the southwest corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana St., along the wall of the Rio Meat Market.
Muralist Jason Timothy Smith’s work pays homage to the area’s diversity, which leaders called a “once thriving African American Main Street.”
Artist Jason Smith speaks about the mural he painted on Rio Meat Market on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Jackie Robinson is depicted on the new mural located at the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Pasadena’s Octavia Butler is represented on the new mural located on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Community members and city officials gather with artist Jason Smith for a ribbon cutting in front of a new mural on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Artist Jason Smith speaks about the mural he painted on a building on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Community members gather for a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of a new mural on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena, CA. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Community members gather for a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of a new mural on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena, CA. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Laura Monteros lines up a photo of the new mural on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Community members gather for a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of a new mural on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Community landmarks and leaders are featured on a new mural on the wall of Rio Meat Market in Pasadena, CA. The community held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the mural Nov. 23, 2024.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
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Artist Jason Smith speaks about the mural he painted on Rio Meat Market on the SW corner of N. Fair Oaks Blvd. and Montana in Pasadena. The mural features community landmarks and leaders and is designed like a traditional African American quilt. It depicts the diversity of the area and pays homage to the Fair Oaks area being a “once thriving African American Main St,” leaders say. The piece was commissioned by the N. Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH).(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
At Saturday’s unveiling, Smith joined Pasadena city leaders, residents and community groups to celebrate the newest creative addition to the neighborhood. Officials said the commissioned mural honors Black history, with the goal to “beautify not gentrify” the area.
“There’s been so much displacement of African Americans from our city,” said Jill Shook, co-founder of Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH), a faith-based nonprofit that works towards housing access and honoring Pasadena history. “At one point, close to a quarter of our city was Black, and now it’s less than 8% — so this community, in many ways, has been devastated by displacement.”
The North Fair Oaks corridor “is often underappreciated, so we wanted to make sure that people who were important in that area were honored and publicly recognized as part of the city’s history” through this community mural, said Anthony Manousos, co-founder of MHCH.
Other local heroes featured on the mural include Edna Griffin, the first Black woman doctor and female president of the NAACP in Pasadena, who fought against segregation; Canto “TNT” Robledo, a local blind Latino fighter and trainer; Loretta Thompson-Glickman, Pasadena’s first Black female mayor; and the Woods-Valentine Mortuary, the area’s oldest Black-owned business.
One modern feature of the mural is its use of interactive QR codes, next to each historical figure and place, that people can scan to learn more about the area and these Pasadena legends.
The mural cost a little over $6,000 to create, made possible by The Arroyo Group, an urban design and planning firm, according to Manousos. Planning and community outreach began over a year ago, largely through Black community churches.
Many of these local religious houses of worship are also featured in the mural, including St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and Deliverance Christian Church, among others.
Painting began in early October, officials said, and took around two months to complete.
Muralist Smith, who lives in Pasadena, has created at least six indoor and outdoor murals, and has exhibited in Minnesota, Washington D.C., Kenya and other places.
His work spans over 25 years and is “marked by a commitment to collaborating with community groups and non-profits to express their sense of community, history, and message” through art, organizers said.
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