TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma's resident peace ambassador is now being honored with a mural in the heart of the city.
Kwabi Amoah-Forson is known for his powder blue Peace Bus that delivers messages of peace and unity to kids across Pierce County. Previous efforts of his include his "Every Kid Eats" program, delivering books about and speaking about peace, delivering presents to children at Christmas and speaking within the city and internationally to promote peace. Amoah-Forson was previously the recipient of the Tacoma Peace Prize.
The massive new mural features Amoah-Forson and the word "peace" in the foreground, with a quote in the background. The mural is just blocks from Lincoln High School.
“My Hope is that it will inspire neighborhood youth to work together and live more peacefully,” Amoah-Forson said.
Amoah-Forson hopes to help address violence within the community, saying it takes just one person to bring about change.
"When they get out of high school every day, they're gonna turn and see a mural with peace on it with a person of color right here that resonates with them, to say, 'Maybe I don't have to go towards violence.'"
Amoah-Forson said he hopes leading by example can be a powerful way to inspire change and promote alternatives to violence.
“I’m hoping they’ll think that there’s a young man here in the community that’s doing work towards peace and think ‘Hey, maybe I can do the same thing?’"
The City of Tacoma Arts Commission and the City of Tacoma Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality sponsored the community paint project. Local mural artist Ricky Bisol received a grant from the city and led the community on a paint day with volunteers filling in the vibrant colors.
“All of my murals are positive influence words, like hope and love, so this was just a natural next step,” said Bisol. Bisol's murals are all over the city. He enlisted the help of a local tattoo and mural artist Jorge Mota who picked up a paintbrush to capture the likeness of Amoah-Forson.
“It’s pretty powerful to actually get the community together for a peace mural and I’m just lucky to be a part of it,” said Mota.
The group effort included cleaning up a dirty parking lot and transforming a massive concrete wall next to Flying Boots Cafe on South 38th Street in Tacoma. All parties involved say they hope it’s the first of more to come.