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OUR STORY · CINCINNATI

Words in the street.
A city in conversation.

In 2020, Alandes Powell’s poem “We Want What You Want” brought 17 Black lead artists and community volunteers together to create Cincinnati’s Black Lives Matter mural. That moment grew into Black Art Speaks. Follow the story from the original mural to the artists, partnerships, and new public works carrying its message forward.

About BAS and leadership · Explore the original poem

Mural history · Poems · Leadership · Reports · Sponsors

The complete original Black Lives Matter mural outside Cincinnati City Hall. Photograph by Pixxel Designs, 2021.

OUR STORY · CINCINNATI, 2020

​How a poem became a mural.

In 2020, Alandes Powell’s poem “We Want What You Want” inspired a vision: bring its words to life through the Black Lives Matter! Cincinnati Mural. Each letter visually represents a line of the poem.


Seventeen Black lead artists and a host of volunteers made that vision tangible. Working together for less than 20 hours over three days, they turned individual artistic voices into one shared public statement.

Alandes Powell, author of We Want What You Want

2020 · THE POEM

We Want What You Want

Alandes Powell’s poem calls for peace, opportunity, justice, protection, equal treatment, and safety for Black creativity—the words carried into every mural letter.

READ THE POEM →

People gathered in a circle outdoors at a Black Art Speaks community event

2021–2025 · A CONTINUING LEGACY

The mural lives beyond the paint.

The work grew beyond the street: public art, Cincinnati Public Library workshops, and youth sneaker-building programs. In 2025, BAS received the National Community Mural Award.

SEE THE IMPACT →

Artists painting the colorful Black Lives Matter street mural

2026 · THE NEXT CHAPTER

More than murals.
A movement.

In July 2026, Alandes Powell wrote “More Than Murals: We Must”—a call to protect history, create, heal together, and turn shared purpose into lasting action. Read both poems below.

VIEW THE NEW MURAL →

BLACK ART SPEAKS TODAY

See the story in action.

Aerial view of the Black Lives Matter mural beside Cincinnati City Hall

We Want What You Want

Finding Voice Through Art
by Alandes Powell · 2020

The poem behind the original Cincinnati mural. Each letter carries a line; together, they give public form to a call for peace, justice, and equal opportunity.

Hover over or tap a stanza to see its mural artwork and artist. Photographs: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

We Want What You Want
To raise our kids in Peace

B in BLACK — artwork by Brandon Hawkins. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

B · BLACK
Original artist: Brandon Hawkins
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To provide for our families

E in MATTER — artwork by Cedric Cox. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

E · MATTER
Original artist: Cedric Cox
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To live free from unjust persecution

K in BLACK — artwork by Tamia Saunders. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

K · BLACK
Original artist: Tamia Saunders
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To be treated equally, fair and just

S in LIVES — artwork by Ke’Monte Figgs. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

S · LIVES
Original artist: Ke’Monte Figgs
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
For rules that oppress people like us to be lifted

V in LIVES — artwork by Vinay Duncan. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

V · LIVES
Original artist: Vinay Duncan
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
For systems designed to negatively impact our families to be eradicated

L in BLACK — artwork by Michael Coppage. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

L · BLACK
Original artist: Michael Coppage
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To truly see this as a land of opportunity

! in MATTER! — artwork by Jonathan Sears. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

! · MATTER!
Original artist: Jonathan Sears
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To witness our children, grow into adults

M in MATTER — artwork by Adoria Maxberry. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

M · MATTER
Original artist: Adoria Maxberry
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To play with our grandchildren and celebrate as they graduate from high school and college

C in BLACK — artwork by Lahna Lei. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

C · BLACK
Original artist: Lahna Lei
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To walk in a place of Education and know it is truly used to educate

E in LIVES — artwork by Latausha Cox. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

E · LIVES
Original artist: Latausha Cox
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
For others to see the males in our lives as gentlemen with kind hearts and not thugs and criminals

R in MATTER — artwork by Annie Ruth. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

R · MATTER
Original artist: Annie Ruth
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
For others to see the ladies who look like us as beautiful and deserving of equal rights just like the ladies in your life

T in MATTER (second T) — artwork by Asha White. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

T · MATTER (second T)
Original artist: Asha White
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
Equal Pay, equal opportunities, and to know you desire our presence at your professional table and not just tolerate it

A in BLACK — artwork by Brent Billingsley. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

A · BLACK
Original artist: Brent Billingsley
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To know that the people carrying the gun have a desire to protect and not kill

A in MATTER — artwork by Jue Amman. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

A · MATTER
Original artist: Jue Amman
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
To know that your voice will speak against the wrongs and support the rights

T in MATTER (first T) — artwork by Kate Tepe. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

T · MATTER (first T)
Original artist: Kate Tepe
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
A place that our Art of Blackness will be safe as it hangs in your place

L in LIVES — artwork by Gee Horton. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

L · LIVES
Original artist: Gee Horton
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Want What You Want
Nothing more and Nothing less

I in LIVES — artwork by Hannah Jones. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2021.

I · LIVES
Original artist: Hannah Jones
2021 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

Full overhead view of the completed colorful Black Lives Matter mural

More Than Murals: We Must

By Alandes Powell | July 2026

Six years after the founding mural, Alandes Powell’s new poem asks what comes next: protecting history, healing together, and building a legacy through shared action.

Hover over or tap a stanza to explore its 2026 mural letter and artist. Photography: Pixxel Designs.

As time slips by, we look around with wonder.
We think of all we have done... and all we may not have done.
What awakens the mind is realizing that we know what we did not know before.
We know what we must do.
We Must.

B in BLACK — artwork by Kenniya Carter. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

B · BLACK
2026 artist: Kenniya Carter
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must remember to protect our history and make history they cannot erase.
We must write our own story...
History remembers what was important enough to write down.

L in BLACK — artwork by Jailynn Stewart. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

L · BLACK
2026 artist: Jailynn Stewart
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must create.
Every masterpiece begins as an act of courage.

A in BLACK — artwork by Lade Richardson. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

A · BLACK
2026 artist: Lade Richardson
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must know who we are before the world tells us who to become.

C in BLACK — artwork by Rashad Manuel. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

C · BLACK
2026 artist: Rashad Manuel
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must speak the truth,
because no lasting future can be built on lies.

K in BLACK — artwork by Nytaya Babbitt. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

K · BLACK
2026 artist: Nytaya Babbitt
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must forgive,
not to forget the past, but to reclaim our future.

L in LIVES — artwork by Madison Scruggs. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

L · LIVES
2026 artist: Madison Scruggs
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Must.
We must heal together.
Broken communities cannot build lasting change.

I in LIVES — artwork by Christian Drye. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

I · LIVES
2026 artist: Christian Drye
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must lead with love.
Love outlasts fear.

V in LIVES — artwork by Alena Starr. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

V · LIVES
2026 artist: Alena Starr
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must correct each other.
Accountability is the purest form of love.

E in LIVES — artwork by Blanche Smith. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

E · LIVES
2026 artist: Blanche Smith
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must walk like we matter.
Because we do.
We must never let our voices become quieter than our purpose.
Never.
Silence is the enemy.

S in LIVES — artwork by Antevin Brown. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

S · LIVES
2026 artist: Antevin Brown
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We Must.
We must build what we keep praying for, because prayers deserve our participation.

M in MATTER — artwork by Alailah Kesler. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

M · MATTER
2026 artist: Alailah Kesler
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must invest in one another.
Together has always been our greatest strength.

A in MATTER — artwork by James Pate. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

A · MATTER
2026 artist: James Pate
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must protect our earth.
It is the only home we all share.

T in MATTER (first T) — artwork by Deja Fletcher. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

T · MATTER (first T)
2026 artist: Deja Fletcher
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must leave footprints that no storm, no hatred, no administration can erase.
We must become the door we once needed someone else to open.

T in MATTER (second T) — artwork by Sharon Smith. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

T · MATTER (second T)
2026 artist: Sharon Smith
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must see our greatness
long before the world applauds it.
We must choose hope.
Hopelessness has never built a future.

E in MATTER — artwork by Quinn Battiste. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

E · MATTER
2026 artist: Quinn Battiste
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must stop burying dreams with bullets and start building legacies with purpose.
We must celebrate our joy.
It, too, is an act of resistance.

R in MATTER — artwork by Rebecca Armstrong. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

R · MATTER
2026 artist: Rebecca Armstrong
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

We must leave more than murals.
We must leave movements.
The mural is not the movement.
We ARE the movement.
We Are.
We Must.
And Together, We Will.

! in MATTER! — artwork by Michael Taylor. Photograph: Pixxel Designs, 2026.

! · MATTER!
2026 artist: Michael Taylor
2026 mural photograph
Photography: Pixxel Designs

ART AS ACTIVISM. ART AS HEALING. ART AS OPPORTUNITY.

Our mission

Black Art Speaks harnesses the power of art to amplify Black culture and creative voices, advance social justice, and create economic opportunities for all artists and creative entrepreneurs of all backgrounds. Rooted in our culture and intentionally inclusive, we bring diverse artists and communities together through public art, education, advocacy, and community engagement, creating pathways for creatives to turn their talent into sustainable opportunity.

The people behind the work

Meet the team, trustees and artist advisors supporting Black Art Speaks.

BAS Support Team

  • Alandes Powell
    President & CEO
  • Marsha Thornton
    Chief of Strategy
  • Alexis Patton
    Project Manager
  • Gordon Powell
    Logistics Manager

Board of Trustees

  • Alandes Powell
    President & CEO
  • Damian Hoskins
    Board of Trustees
  • Kick Lee
    Board of Trustees
  • Tyra Patterson
    Board of Trustees
  • Ebony Young
    Board Chair
  • Eddie Hawkins
    Board of Trustees
  • Maria Seda-Reeder
    Board of Trustees
  • Peter Niehoff
    Development Chair
  • Jamey Ponte
    Board of Trustees
  • Stephanie Smith
    Board of Trustees
  • Chris Evans
    Board of Trustees
  • Kevin Waklatsi
    Board of Trustees
  • Tamaya Dennard
    Board of Trustees

Artist Advisory Committee

  • Adoria Maxberry
    Advisory Committee
  • Toilyn O’Neal Turner
    Advisory Committee
  • Brandon Hawkins
    Advisory Committee
  • Cedric Cox
    Advisory Committee
  • Sheridan Davenport
    Advisory Committee

Impact, plans & financial reports

Explore our work, strategic direction and annual filings. Documents open in a new tab.

Our supporters

We are grateful to the organizations and individuals who help make this work possible.

2024 supporters

ArtsWave · P&G · BLINK · United Way of Greater Cincinnati · Cincinnati Recreation Center · City of Cincinnati · Urban League · Fifth Third Bank · Haile Foundation · Peter & Betsy Niehoff

Get involved

Get involved →   Support BAS →   Contact us →

​About Black Art Speaks

Sponsors

  • Fifth Third Bank
  • PNC Bank
  • Fifth Third Foundation
  • City of Cincinnati
  • Miles of Change Foundation
  • JD Sports
  • Cincinnati Chamber - Blink
  • Haile Foundation
  • P&G
  • Cincinnati Recreation Center
  • United Way of Greater Cincinnati
  • Everday 'A' Episode
  • Bond Hill Community Council
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