A pro-Palestinian mural in a historically Black Richmond, Virginia, neighborhood has drawn criticism from local civil rights leaders who say the artwork revives a painful racist stereotype.
The mural, painted on a building at Brookland Park Boulevard and North Avenue, shows a dark-skinned woman holding a watermelon slice with seeds that spell out “Free Palestine,” WWBT reported. Former Richmond Crusade for Voters president Jonathan Davis told the outlet the image immediately troubled him.
“I was taken aback because of the imagery that it represents, a watermelon up to the mouth of a Black woman,” Davis said. “So to me, understanding the history of our people and what happened during the Jim Crow era and how those images were used to demean us and make fun of us and ridicule us and run us out of the business, it really bothered me.” (RELATED: Pro-Palestine Protesters Face Charges Nearly A Year After Campus Occupation)
Richmond Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) chapter president William McGee told WWBT the piece could be reworked to serve both movements. Civil rights activist Gary Flowers proposed swapping the watermelon for a Palestinian flag alongside a Black liberation flag. Flowers also accused the building owner and artist of bypassing the community entirely before installation.
Richmond mural supporting Palestine sparks debate over watermelon imagery in Black community #12OnYourSide https://t.co/fU60yAIywc
— 12 On Your Side WWBT Richmond (@12OnYourSide) March 4, 2026
A separate message reading “F*** ICE” on the same building also concerned the group because of its visibility to students at nearby Richmond Community High School, according to The Richmonder.
Los Angeles-based artist Lauren S. told WWBT any resemblance to racist caricatures was unintentional, calling the watermelon a longstanding symbol of Palestinian resistance, The Richmonder reported. VCU professor Faedah Totah told the outlet the symbol dates to 1967 when Israel banned the Palestinian flag.
Richmond muralist Hamilton Glass told RVA Mag the dispute amounts to two separate historical conversations colliding in one location. “The truth is neither generation is wrong,” Glass said. “There are wounds from the older generation that the younger generation will never feel.”
The building owner and opposition leaders are now weighing a town hall to gather community input, WWBT reported.