BEDFORD, Ohio — A remarkable new public mural will be unveiled on Saturday in Bedford, inspired by the Underground Railroad.
"You do see the runaway slaves," Stina Aleah said. "They’re utilizing the Underground Railroad to obtain their freedom."
The installation, on the side of a warehouse along Willis Street, was conceived and created by local artists Aleah, Davon Brantley, and Christa Childs. Why Bedford? The city played a unique role on the road to freedom.
The mural is feet from the tracks Abraham Lincoln traveled for his inauguration, and later his funeral procession. While the mural shows familiar faces, such as Harriet Tubman’s, a man at the right edges sits inside a tree.
His name is Julius Caesar Tibbs, and his story is far lesser known.
"He was found by the Burns family [of Bedford], who helped him get acclimated and get on his feet with his family, because he was in the tree with his family also," Aleah said.
The North Star can be seen above.
"We all know that they followed the North Star to find their way," Aleah added.
Cleveland’s not-for-profit Graffiti Heart discovered the artists when they volunteered a few months back for an historic Black Lives Matter mural along East 93rd Street. Each painted a letter, with Stamy Paul later helping to make the connections.
"It introduced us to a whole new community of artists from all different backgrounds," Paul said, "giving them opportunities that they may not have otherwise had."
Working together for the first time, the artists have now created something that will last.
"It starts the conversation," Aleah said. "Art can spread a message that words can’t."
The official ribbon cutting is Saturday at noon.