Community Research Project; Developed By Students in Dr. Mark Auslander's ANTH-210 "Race and Racism"Fall 2025 Class
Additional Artwork From Luis Del Valle
1st
"Our Separate Struggles Are Really One"
Location: Cardozo Educational Center, Washington, D.C.
Description: This mural is a large-scale acrylic painting, measuring 14 feet by 30 feet. It is part of the artist's body of work that focuses on social justice themes, utilizing art as a "teaching tool" to inspire hope and positive social change by highlighting figures from history who fought for equality.
The art work's core message is that while different communities may have distinct challenges (e.g., The African American Civil Rights Movement and the Chicano Farm Workers' Movement), their underlying fight is a shared struggle for freedom, dignity, and humanity.
2nd
"Love Wins"
Location: Anacostia Neighborhood, Washington, D.C.
Description: This mural is a large-scale painting, located in the Anacostia neighboorhood of Washington, D.C., located Ward 8 of the city. It is an acrylic painting on bricks, measuring 20 feet by 60 feet. As Luis said about this piece "We are not satisfied, and we will not be until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream," paying respect to the long activism of Civil Rights led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"3rd
"The Future is Safe"
Location: Shepherd Elementary School, Washington, D.C.
Description: This is an acrylic painting, measuring 7 feet by 54 feet. As Luis said about this piece, "With my mural at Shepherd Elementary, in-between an astronaut and a jazz musician, the worst thing we can do to our kids is to raise them with a victim mentality. Yes, it will be hard! Yes some people want you to fail and give up, and yes, life is not fair! But, we have too many people to look up to like Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez, and Nelson Mandela, to name a few. They've shown us that there is no limit or obstacle to big to stop us from achieving our goals and fulfilling our destiny.