Learn how a New Yorker transforms her painful experience with gender-based hate and racism into great public art. May Siu uses the power of art to heal herself and to galvanize a passionate group of New Yorkers into action with a mission to promote equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Documentary Credits
Produced by Education Video Center
Producer Ayaris
Camera Operators - Aboubakary, Nomam, Fauziya
New York, NY, Murals for Good and UA3 are collaborating to beautify NYC and address pandemic related social inequities through the #WeAreBetterTogether solidarity project. Together we seek to address food insecurity issues, challenge racism and promote cross cultural solidarity across different communities in NYC.
Murals for Good and UA3 cordially invite you to join them in an unveiling of one of the many series of #WeAreBetterTogether murals in NYC.
When: Sat Nov 20, 2021 at 3:30pm - 7:30pm
Where: 384 Grand St Lower East Side NYC
What: #WeAreBetterTogether Cross Cultural Solidarity Mural Unveiling
Activities: Lion Dance Performance, Raffles, Art, Free Food, AR Light Projection show
The #WeAreBetterTogether solidarity mural was designed by a passionate group of young artists from East New York Brooklyn and art directed by Murals for Good's teaching artist Miki Mu.
These young artists are the next generation of Solidarity Ambassadors, many traveling three hours daily to create mural art that helps bridge social, cultural, and equity gaps. Through murals and the mantra “We Are Better Together,” we seek to draw attention to the UA3’s and Murals for Good’s process of collaboration and youth empowerment, while also making a statement about the importance of solidarity across different communities.
This mural is located at the corner of the Community First Food Pantry on 384 Grand St NYC.
Murals for Good was founded by May Siu, an Asian-American woman who has experienced racism throughout her life. She saw race- and gender-based hate crimes increase during the pandemic which catalyzed her decision to create a nonprofit public art project to address social justice issues in NYC. The organization consists of a dedicated group of New Yorkers who believe in the power of public art to heal their fractured city. The artists and partners work to amplify and promote equity, inclusion, and belonging. They also curate and create murals throughout the city, and their young artists work with local poverty-fighting organizations that help make New York City more equitable. Murals for Good is a 501(c)(3) organization that relies on impassioned volunteers.
Founded in 2015, UA3 is a non-profit driven to create lasting improvements in underserved communities through youth empowerment, education, promotion of health and mental health awareness, supporting socio-economic opportunities, and channeling resources to those in need. When COVID-19 hit, they jumped into action in April 2020 with their “Dare to Care" motto to establish the first food pantry in Chinatown—the Community First Food Pantry. Their project has since rapidly grown to serve over 7,000 people per week in various racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods across New York City. UA3 strives to accomplish these goals through partnerships within the public and private sectors, such as educational institutions and community service organizations.
Community-Based Organizations (CBO 100) Solidarity
At Murals for Good and UA3, solidarity is more than just a word. It's a pledge of collective action! Throughout the last few years, UA3 has been building a database of 100+ Community-Based Organizations (CBO) to provide and share resources to multiply their effects through collective action. These organizations engage youth and other CBOs in diversity, equity, inclusion discussions, voice empowerment, and hands on solidarity work. They collaborate with local community-based organizations like Trinity Church, Henry Street Settlement, and Lions Club International to distribute PPEs and food to communities facing pandemic-related hardship and food insecurity.
Murals for Good designed a unique comprehensive art education and youth empowerment program aimed to inspire their youth participants who are recruited from underserved communities as “Solidarity Ambassadors.” This program is sponsored by NeON Arts. NeON Arts is a program of the NYC Department of Probation in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
For more details on Murals for Good’s current project, click this link https://muralsforgood.org/beautify-nyc .
Contact May Siu at may@muralsforgood.org for any questions related to Mural for Good.
Contact Bonnie Tang at bonnie.tang@ua3now.org for any questions related to UA3.
New York, NY, Council Member Margaret Chin supports Murals for Good in its efforts to beautify NYC through the #WeAreBetterTogether art project, which seeks to challenge racism and promote cross cultural solidarity in NYC.
Murals for Good was founded by May Siu, an Asian-American woman who has experienced racism throughout her life. The increase in race- and gender-based hate crimes during the pandemic was a catalyst in the creation of her nonprofit public art project to address social justice issues in NYC. The organization consists of a dedicated group of New Yorkers who believe in the power of public art to heal their fractured city. The artists and partners work to amplify and promote equity, inclusion, and belonging. They also curate and create murals throughout the city, and their young artists work with local poverty-fighting organizations that help make New York City more equitable.
Murals for Good is a 501(c) (3) that invites you to join them in an unveiling of the first of many series of #WeAreBetterTogether murals in the Lower East Side.
Time/Date: Friday Oct 22, 2021 at 2pm, 7pm AR Light Projection Art Unveiling
Place: 44 Hester St NYC.
Event: “Stop Discrimin-Asian” Mural Unveiling & Sneak peak of the next cross cultural Solidarity murals
The Stop Discrimin-Asian mural is designed by a female Asian American artist named Alana Tsui, who was born and raised in New Zealand with parents from Hong Kong and Shanghai. The intention behind Alana's art has always been to bring inspiration, light, and positive messages to the public. With the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes, we need to spread awareness and stand up for her people through the power of art while uplifting NYC Chinatown which has been affected by two diseases: COVID-19 and racism.
This mural is located at the store front of Macaron Parlour which is owned by Simon Tung, a Fuzhounese descent whose family immigrated here in the 1990s. The mural is a quintessential cross-cultural bridge between Fuzhounese Chinese and American culture.
Current Murals For Good Project
In collaboration with the New York City Department of Probation and Carnegie Hall’s NeON Arts program, the goal of the current Beautify NYC #WeAreBetterTogether project is to raise awareness of racism and anti-Asian hate and to promote solidarity across communities. The murals and the mantra “We Are Better Together” draw attention to the process of collaboration and youth engagement and make a statement about the importance of interracial solidarity across different communities.
Partners and Community Solidarity: Lower East Side Chinatown & East New York
At Murals for Good, solidarity is not just a buzzword. It's a pledge of collective action! This community solidarity project engages youth and communities in deep conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion, empowers our partners to use their voices to speak truth and create change, and promotes hands-on solidarity as we collaborate with local community-based organizations like Fuzhou America and UA3 Now food pantries in distributing hand sanitizers and food to communities facing COVID related hardship and food insecurity issues.
Murals for Good's art education program aims to inspire youth participants as “Solidarity Ambassadors.” In just eight weeks, our Solidarity Ambassadors helped feed over 5,000 families and distributed over 7,000 hand sanitizers to seven community-based organizations throughout East New York, Harlem, and Queens.
Youth and Community Engagement
Between August 2021 and March of 2022, Murals for Good’s Solidarity Ambassadors will add three murals to two communities in NYC that were hardest hit during the pandemic: Lower East Side NYC and East New York Brooklyn. By disseminating the project’s QR codes far and wide (they are included on the murals) and creating a launch event, Murals for Good aims to promote cross-cultural solidarity across both communities. This inclusive and grassroots project includes hands-on collaboration, information sharing, and education which will have a meaningful and lasting impact.
Series #1 Mural: "Stop Discrimin-Asian" on 44 Hester St - Unveiling
Series #2 Mural: Cross Cultural Solidarity on Suffolk St - Nov
Series #3 Mural: East New York - TBD
Series #4 Mural: Grand St - TBD
https://muralsforgood.org/beautify-nyc
Contact May Siu at may@muralsforgood.org for any questions.