Community artists and social activists in Mill Valley have installed three free-standing doors in the Depot Plaza as a way to promote racial justice.
The theme of the first door is the history of racism in Southern Marin; the second, racist experiences in the present day; the third, the path to a safe and equitable future.
Participants in the project planned to paint one side of each door on Saturday to represent different perspectives on systemic racism. The back of each door will serve as a community message board.
“The front are like portraits and the back is set up for community interaction,” said Zoe Fry, the artist leading the project. “Each door has a question. We printed out stickers so people can write an answer to that question and post it to the back of the door. Our hope is that anyone going through the square can participate in it.”
“It’s a place for stories,” said Fry, also the vice president of the Patrons of the Arts at Tam High. “That’s my intention for building this project.”
She said the community art piece was inspired by the public backlash over Mayor Sashi McEntee’s comment about the Black Lives Matter movement not being an issue of “immediate local importance” to address during a City Council meeting.
Fry added that artists and activists volunteered their time because they believe the community needs an outlet to share an honest history of racism in Mill Valley, their first-hand stories of racism and what is needed to create an equitable, safe and integrated city.
City officials have since pushed to address racial inequality through the creation of a “diversity, equity and inclusion” committee and promoting the creation of Black Lives Matter artwork.
Nancy Elkus, chair of the Mill Valley Arts Commission, said the community art project is a perfect fit and it’s being gifted to the city by the artist.
“From my point of view, we lucked out,” Elkus said. “The artist herself is not thinking of it as an art piece, she said she is thinking of it as an intersectional safe space, community bulletin board or like a forum. This element makes it last longer than just a gathering of people, which makes it COVID-safe. So it’s a win, win, win.”
Elkus said Mill Valley’s history of banning the sale of homes to Black people through redlining and deed restrictions is a cruel truth that needs to be acknowledged. While her White family would not have been edged out, Elkus said, it is still important for everyone to understand how the issue affects the demographic makeup of the town today.
Black residents comprise only 0.7% of the 14,259 residents in Mill Valley, while 7% are two or more races, according to the Census Bureau’s website. Elkus said this lack of diversity makes it more important to have a platform where nonwhites can share their experiences.
Mill Valley resident Naima Dean is one of the few Black people who were raised in the city. She said when Fry pitched the project, she was sold on the idea of building bridges between people.
“I hope to see this project grow and grow,” Dean said. “I have huge visions for what I can see potentially come out of this. It’s an opportunity to address some of the racism that is here in this community that people don’t want to recognize.”
She said the art piece will help people understand what it’s like to be a Black person in a predominantly White community. While shopping at a pharmacy in Mill Valley, she said, a White child came running around the corner, nearly tripping her. Dean said, “Whoa, slow down,” but the child’s mother thought her reaction was confrontational and told her she needed to calm down.
“After I paid, I said ‘hey’ and starting walking toward her outside,” Dean said. “She started screaming, telling me to get away, and she ran back into the pharmacy as if I was assaulting her when she was the person addressing her privilege over me.”
“Maybe that’s just how she would have treated any person, but it didn’t feel like that,” she said. “Those are the conversations we have to have.”
Elkus brought up how children also have different experiences based on the color of their skin.
“Kids walking around Mill Valley who are not Caucasian have a different experience,” she said. “An African American child is aware of his backpack when entering a store and makes sure to point it out to the owner or leave it on the counter, because they think the owner thinks there is a risk of stealing.”
Elkus said the commission supports expanding the project to other towns and cities.
“It’s the telling of stories, the listening,” Elkus said. “This is an actual space for people to tell their story and learn.”
She said the art installation is not permanent and will likely be stored once the rainy season hits.
Fry started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help expand the project, which has received more than $2,000 in donations toward its $6,000 goal.
