Throop Avenue’s Wall of Fame

I ride the Throop Avenue B43 bus regularly. The ride up to Myrtle Avenue is filled with rich Bed-Stuy history, including Roy’s Rib Place and Shakur’s Sweet Tooth (which we will absolutely have to sample both and write about later). Of all the sights, the mural on Throop between Van Buren and Greene is my favorite. I call it the Wall of Fame.

It honors some of the great leaders in civil and human rights history. Unfortunately, I could not get a better angle of the wall from across the street because there are often cars parked on the curb, blocking my view. Also, the mural has been a victim of some graffitti, but not enough to diminish from its beauty. There is a day care center sign in the middle of the mural, which I called hoping to discover the artist, but there was no answer the few times I’ve attempted to call. If anyone knows the identity of the artist, please comment!

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From left to right, Bob Marley (2/6/45 – 5/11/81), the legendary reggae artist and Brother Stokely Carmichael (6/29/41 – 11/15/98), the civil rights leader who is credited with having coined the phrase “Black Power”.

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Malcolm X (5/19/25 – 2/21/65), Black Nationalist leader and Sonny Carson (5/20/29 – 12/20/02 ), youth gang member turned community activist.

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Betty Shabazz (5/28/36 – 6/23/97), wife of Malcolm X and leader in her own right, and Martin Luther King, Jr. (1/15/29 – 4/4/68), the chief representative of the Civil Rights movement.

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Nelson Mandela (7/18/18 – Present), anti-apartheid activist and first African President of South Africa and Angel Davis (1/26/44 – Present), professor, community organizer and former Black Panther Party member.

My apologies for the too brief identificatiion of the significance of these great leaders. I’ve included links to each leader where you can read a fuller biography. Again, if anyone knows the artist or the artist reads this posting and wants to be identified and honored, please comment!