Over 25,000 People Have Signed A Petition to Add People of Color to Downtown Naperville's "Naperville Loves a Parade" Mural

It’s one of those things that, for me, once you see it, you can’t unsee it. The lack of diversity on the “Naperville Loves a Parade” mural inside the alley called Rubin’s Way off Main St.

That’s why a man named Tee Marcus started this petition on June 1st, and it has over 25,000 signatures already.

I’ll be honest, I’ve walked by that beautiful piece of art many times and haven’t noticed it, but it’s pretty clear it’s not an accurate representation of the community, and to be fair, it was never meant to be. So why is the wall, the way it is? Well, because in an effort to recoup the funds of the downtown Naperville art project the organizers took donations in exchange for being included in the mural. Hey, that’s smart! Great way to include local faces and make a bit of money! Unfortunately, that also excludes a lot of people, as Marcus explained in a video today.

I reached out to the Century Walk Naperville organization, the non-profit who spearheaded the downtown Naperville art installations. I’ll let you know if I hear back!

So, what do you think, should the mural be updated to better reflect the city’s demographics, or should it be left alone?