As Black Lives Matter murals began to be painted on streets and areas across the nation, people in Worcester began wondering when one in the city would materialize.

Calls were made to City Hall and councilors while others began to find a way to make it happen.

Eventually, through a Facebook page, the community gathered to share ideas, search for volunteers and look for Black and brown artists who could contribute.

Beginning this week, in the area of Major Taylor and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards, a mural will be painted on the streets.

Sean Rose, District 1 City Councilor in Worcester, said those from the Black, Indigenous and people of color communities were all thinking about coming together to do something.

Che Anderson, deputy cultural development officer for the city, said his office along with Mayor Joseph Petty and City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. also received calls from people asking what could be done as people across the country gathered in solidarity against racism and police brutality as protesters called for justice after the deaths of Black people including George Floyd, who was killed after a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyds neck for nearly nine minutes.

Augustus, Petty and Rose discussed the idea of having a mural come to life in the city. The project, however, needed to be led by the community.

Folks were seeing this happening in other cities and said they wanted to help, Anderson said. It kind of grew organically.

Rose and Anderson created a Facebook group so people could share ideas and coordinate volunteers. The group also wanted to have food ready for the volunteers and used the group to receive suggestions of where to buy food from a Black-owned business.

Its just been incredible to see the community come together in the spirit of this mural, Rose said.

The streets will be painted either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the weather. The city will sweep the area beforehand and provide barricades to seal off the area as the artwork is created.

The area of Major Taylor and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards is a fitting spot for the mural. King was an icon of the civil rights movement and Taylor was a Black cycling superstar who was the world cycling champion in 1899 and American sprint champion in 1900.

The streets are also in a visible part of the city in the heart of downtown.

We really couldnt think of a better place to put it, Rose said. Worcester is certainly a city that appreciates its culture and its diversity and the beauty of people coming together from the BIPOC community to organically create this I think makes it even more special.

For Anderson, he sees the painting of the mural as a way for the community to gather and heal in a time when many people have been separated due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This becomes, for me, a big community rallying opportunity, Anderson said. There is a lot that has happened in our city and around the country, so providing this opportunity for folks to come together and do something powerful that has a message, thats really kind of beautiful.

Murals have been painted across the country. Boston, Dallas, New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles are just some of the cities that have Black Lives Matter street murals.

The concept for the artwork in Worcester is still being designed with submissions being looked at by the members of the group.

Em Quiles, president PaLante Latinx Moving Forward, is one member of the group who is working to coordinate volunteers and reaching out to Black and brown artists so they can be part of the project.

She said people from as far as Lawrence and Springfield have volunteered to be a part of the event.

The group is working on putting out a call for donations and volunteers. Rose estimates the project will cost $10,000 to $15,000.

There have already been donations. The United Way of Central Massachusetts has donated $2,500; POW! WOW! Worcester has donated $1,000 and the Committee to Elect Sean Rose has donated $1,000.

Kimberly Salmon, The Hanover Insurance Groups assistant vice president of community relations, has also expressed a commitment to the project.

The DCU Center has agreed to open up the bathroom facilities for volunteers on the day the mural is painted and created.

People wishing to donate to the project can go to this webpage.

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Plan underway for Black Lives Matter mural to be painted on Worcester streets; Mural will be in the Major Tay - MassLive.com