Love as Revolution
An intersectional solidarity mural celebrating powerful Black, Indigenous, and Palestinian women activists across generations, demonstrating how transformational love serves as the foundation for liberation and decolonizing public spaces.
Intersectional Creation Journey
How transformational love and solidarity across movements created a mural celebrating liberation
Executive Partnership Vision
Meeting with CSMA Executive Director and founder of Ithaca Murals to plan a mural for intersectional solidarity, portraying 3 powerful artists and activists.
First CSMA Mural Partnership
Through Community School partnership, creating the very first mural at CSMA with help from Megan Omohundro, Executive Director.
Documentary Integration & Initial Painting
Beginning painting using funds from Maya Murry's documentary of the same name - about intersectional solidarity and murals as transformational love decolonizing walls.
Community Crowdsourcing Campaign
Community crowdsources $2,500+ from local community, CSMA parents, members, Cornell professors and faculty to cover labor and remaining costs.
Shaden Qous - Afro-Palestinian Representation
Portraying Shaden Qous, Afro-Palestinian artist and activist, highlighting media silence about her detention in West Bank despite being US citizen and law student.
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson - Indigenous Solidarity
Depicting Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Native American photographer and advocate for intersectional solidarity between Indigenous North America and Palestine.
Kara Walker - Black Body Experience
Featuring Kara Walker and her revolutionary art addressing the Black body experience and challenging narratives about Black womanhood.
Generation of Ancestors - Fadwa Tuqan
Adding the generation of ancestors watching from behind, starting with Fadwa Tuqan, the legendary poet of Palestine.
Zitkala-Sa - Indigenous Literary Pioneer
Honoring Zitkala-Sa, Dakota writer and activist who bridged traditional Indigenous knowledge with resistance to colonization.
June Simpson - Black & Palestinian Solidarity Pioneer
Featuring June Simpson and her Palestine activism during a time when most Black women activists remained silent about Palestine due to fear of repercussions.
Angela Davis Quote Integration
Adding Angela Davis quote from her Cornell talk in February 2025: "There are dimensions of freedom we could have never imagined if we did not start struggling for what we thought was freedom."
Indigenous Wildlife & Symbolic Birds
Volunteers add butterflies indigenous to upstate NY, Palestinian sunbirds, African birds from Zulu mythology, and Native American eagles.
Traditional Cultural Patterns
All figures wear traditional clothing: Leanne's Anishinaabe patterns, Shaden's Palestinian tatreez, and Kara's Pan-African patterned dress.
Mural Completion & Community Celebration
The completed mural showcases intersectional solidarity through powerful women across movements, celebrating transformational love as resistance.
Featured in "Love as Revolution" Documentary
The mural becomes central to Maya Murry's documentary exploring how intersectional solidarity and transformational love decolonize public spaces.
Intersectional Liberation Impact
"Love as Revolution" demonstrates that authentic liberation movements are inherently interconnected. By featuring powerful women from Black, Indigenous, and Palestinian liberation movements across generations, this mural shows how transformational love serves as the foundation for all resistance work.
As Angela Davis reminds us, "There are dimensions of freedom we could have never imagined if we did not start struggling for what we thought was freedom." This mural embodies that truth, showing how solidarity across movements expands our collective understanding of what liberation can be and how love serves as the revolutionary force that makes it possible.